Over 177,000 Work Contracts Signed In Romania Over Past Two Weeks

05.16.2011 By Ioana Tudor

Over 177,000 individual work contracts were signed in Romania between May 2 and May 15, after authorities started checkups aimed to eliminate illegal jobs, the Work Inspection said Monday.

According to the source, fines for illegal working stand at about 7 million lei (about EUR1.7 million).

The country's new Labor Code took effect on May 1 and authorities launched a checkup program aimed to eliminate illegal labor. The program is carried out by the Work Inspection, the Financial Guard, the Police and the Gendarmerie.

Under the 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.