Romania: Amendment to Law 367/2022 increasing the number of sectors permitted to negotiate collective bargaining agreements

The government has reconsidered the social dialogue reform of 2011, which eradicated collective bargaining at national level and downgraded the role of branch agreements in favour of decentralised collective bargaining at companies with more than 21 employees. This move prompted the collapse of collective bargaining coverage from 100% to a level of approximately 32% (see Living and working in Romania). Pursuant to the major reform of social dialogue and collective bargaining passed by Law 367/2022 of 19 December 2022 (see AFSRU Article), the government has just increased the number of sectors permitted to negotiate collective bargaining agreements from 30 to 58 (see press release). The government has also adopted a draft order supplementing and amending the Law of 19 December 2022.