The President of the PNL, Nicolae Ciucă, said on Thursday, regarding the Prime Minister's statement regarding the increase in the minimum wage, that until now all important decisions have been discussed in the Coalition.
The reaction of the PNL leader, after the Prime Minister's announcement regarding the increase in the minimum wage PHOTO Mediafax
“There have been discussions and debates in the last period of time related to the increase of the minimum wage, and the National Liberal Party has always supported and will support that the minimum wage be aligned with the European minimum wage. It is a concern of all political leaders, because we have to meet the expectations of the citizens and it is a matter that relates to everything that means empathy and humanity in each of us so that in the Europe of the 21st century, in the year 2024, we fight poverty. It is absolutely necessary for such measures to be taken with due analysis, to be brought to the table of dialogue and to consult all the actors in this circle, so that we do not do it in such a way that we are not able to support such a decision”said Nicolae Ciucă, at Euronews Romania.
According to the President of the Senate, “cthe remainder of the minimum wage mainly targets wages in the private sector, but at the same time there are a whole series of indicators that also apply to employees in the public sector”. “Which is why, after this decision, we need to come and see what all the technical elements are in order to be able to ensure the sustainability of the minimum wage increase”, added the PNL leader.
Asked if it will be possible to ensure the sustainability of the increase in the minimum wage, Nicolae Ciucă stated: “Six billion lei, at the moment, taking into account how the budget and the budget deficit look today, do not exist. And I am not convinced that we are only talking about six billion, we need to discuss with the Minister of Finance, with the Ministry of Labor, to have all the detailed development on the effects and implications of this increase” “This discussion must be done in the Alliance, but first of all, it must be discussed with those who are going to provide these salaries”, added the PNL leader.
Nicolae Ciucă stated that he did not participate in the meeting of the Tripartite National Council and that he did not discuss with the prime minister after this meeting.
“I did not participate, I did not manage to discuss with the Prime Minister after the end of this meeting. As such, I don't want to make a mistake and speculate on this topic that is particularly important to people. Citizens deserve respect at least from the point of view of the decisions we take that directly affect them”, said Nicolae Ciucă.
Asked about the statement made on social media in which he stated that “politicians in Romania have made a habit of winning votes by irresponsibly squandering the budget in campaigns with reckless ideas and spending state money” also refers to the increase in the minimum wage, the leader of the Senate drew attention to the increased presence of politicians in front of citizens during the election campaign.
“During this period of time, I had the opportunity to go to many counties in the country to meet with the citizens and to discuss a whole series of issues and concerns of the citizens. One of the concerns was about this very aspect where, in the campaign, people are promised a whole series of things. I considered it normal to have a reaction, a response to citizens related to the way I see things. It is not normal to go to the citizens during the election campaign. We very much need to ensure this permanent presence (…) We must think that through a populist approach we do not solve the problem, but rather deepen it', said Nicolae Ciucă.
Ciucă: It's not about me being bothered, it's about respect
Asked if the Prime Minister's statement about raising the minimum wage is a populist approach, the Senate leader replied: “I didn't see it, I don't know the details of what happened, I can't comment.” “As a rule, all these aspects that concerned important decisions were discussed in the coalition. Probably, after the meeting with the Tripartite Commission, we will also have a discussion in the Coalition”, Nicolae Ciucă added.
Asked if he is bothered by the fact that he was not consulted by the prime minister before making this statement, the PNL leader replied: “It's not about me being bothered, it's about the attitude and respect we have for each other. Until this moment, we have had the most honest approach in the relationship with the prime minister, in the relationship with our coalition partners, and we will continue to have it because beyond the annoyance or pride of each of us, what is important is what we do for the people”.
Asked if this does not represent a problem for relations in the coalition and if it will not represent a fissure, the PNL leader stated that: “How many problems and how many situations have we had in these two and a half years and we still have half a year ahead, at least. This is not the most difficult and complicated problem. We solve them all“.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced the increase of the minimum wage to 3,700 lei from July 1, specifying that the 200 non-taxable lei will be maintained.
“From July 1, the minimum wage will increase to 3,700 lei gross. At the same time, we will maintain until the end of the year the facility granted to employers regarding the 200 lei exempt from taxes. We are in the right direction towards the implementation of the European minimum wage. This is the decision taken today, together with unions and employers, in the Tripartite Council”, wrote Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on Facebook.
