In a move that has sparked a fierce political clash, the Romanian government is cracking down on the practice of “double-dipping”—specifically the ability for public employees to collect both a special pension and a salary simultaneously. The decision, championed by interim Labor Minister Ilie Bolojan, aims to eliminate a financial perk that has long been a point of contention in the public sector.
The government has officially adopted a ban on the accumulation of special pensions and salaries within public administration. To ensure the measure takes effect quickly, Bolojan announced that the proposal will be sent to Parliament with a request for adoption under an emergency procedure. According to News.ro
, the interim minister is pushing for a streamlined legislative process to close these loopholes.
The reform doesn’t stop at a total ban for all. For public employees who continue to function in the state sector, the government is implementing a cap, limiting pensions to 85% for those remaining in the workforce, as reported by Digi24
.
The move has ignited a political firestorm. The National Liberal Party (PNL) issued a sharp response toward the Social Democratic Party (PSD) after Bolojan dismissed the practice of combining pensions and salaries. The PNL suggested that this very issue is exactly what bothers the public, according to Stirile ProTV
.
However, not everyone is convinced of the current administration’s efficiency. A former Minister of Labor has publicly challenged the current minister’s “two-day reform,” urging him to rethink the strategy, as detailed by Adevarul
.
Despite the friction, there are exceptions to the rule. Dragoș Pîslaru noted that certain professional categories will not be subject to the ban on combining pensions and salaries, stating that the goal is to correct specific systemic issues, according to Mediafax
.
