Boc: Over 157,000 Work Contracts Signed In Romania Over Past 10 Days

05.13.2011 By Ioana Tudor

Over 157,000 work contracts have been signed in Romania since the country’ new labor laws took effect and authorities launched a checkup program aimed to eliminate illegal labor, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Friday.

According to Boc, of the 157,306 work contract signed over the past ten days, 70% are indefinite-term work contracts.

The labor inspection authority said in a press release Tuesday that 117,587 individual work contracts were signed in Romania between May 2 and May 9.

According to the press release, fines for illegal working exceeded 3.7 million lei (about EUR902 million).

Boc recently approved a program fighting illegal work to be carried out by the Work Inspection, the Financial Guard, the Police and the Gendarmerie.

He advised employers who hire illegal workers to sign labor contracts, as the new work legislation states higher fines and even criminal punishments.

The new Labor Code, which was pushed through the Parliament through a vote of confidence, took effect on May 1.

Under the new law, employers hiring up to five people without individual work contracts will be fined RON10,000-RON20,000 per person. Hiring more than five people without contracts constitutes a crime and the employer will receive a prison sentence of one-two years, or forced to pay a criminal fine. (EUR1=RON4.1060)