FAIR-MediaSind asks for elimination of pay gaps in Culture and Mass-Media sector

The FAIR MediaSind Culture and Mass-Media Federation on Monday asked the Minister of Culture and National Identity, Valer-Daniel Breaz, to modify Law no. 153/2017 to eliminate existing pay gaps in this field, reads a release sent to AGERPRES. 

FAIR-MediaSind asked the Minister of Culture to observe the Agreement concluded between the Ministry and the Federation on May 17, 2018, meant to put an end to a conflict facing the culture and mass-media sector back then, related to labour, based on which Agreement the Ministry of Culture committed to solve several "serious" problems of the system, including to eliminate such pay gaps between employees through leveling base salaries for the same position and rank, and drew attention that, unless commitments already made are met, the said conflict may be resumed. 

FAIR - MediaSind warns such pay gaps in the base salary of public employees holding the same office and having the same rank was sanctioned including by the Constitutional Court. 

Thus, according to the Constitutional Court's decision, the public employees holding the same office and having the same rank must receive the maximum pay, provided they work in the same conditions. 

"Or, even if the need of an equal pay for public employees, who do the same work, hold the same office and have the same rank, was established as a fundamental principle in the Law no. 153 / 2017, in reality, the cultural and mass-media institutions do not apply this legal provision, in the sense that the public employees in such institutions are placed in different categories of the Law no. 153/2017, depending on the institution's subordination," shows the release. 

FAIR-MediaSind drew attention that, unless the Ministry of Culture observes its commitments as made before the trade union organisation the former labour conflict may be resumed in the culture and mass-media sector.