--- title: "CNSM: The minimum wage should be above 7,300 lei for a decent living" url: https://radiomoldova.md/p/85334/cnsm-the-minimum-wage-should-be-above-7-300-lei-for-a-decent-living published: 2026-09-18T09:20:17Z language: en author: "Ana Cebotari" section: "Economic" source: radiomoldova.md --- # CNSM: The minimum wage should be above 7,300 lei for a decent living > The Republic of Moldova's minimum wage of 6,300 lei should be raised to at least 7,300 lei to cover the subsistence minimum for an employee with one child. The National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova (CNSM) warns that the current level is insufficient and creates major imbalances in the state-funded pension system. ![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/d6c02087-8ea5-4ded-8177-089be2d9729e.jpg) The Republic of Moldova's minimum wage of 6,300 lei should be raised to at least 7,300 lei to cover the subsistence minimum for an employee with one child. The National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova (CNSM) warns that the current level is insufficient and creates major imbalances in the state-funded pension system. "Both national legislation and the international standards we have ratified or transposed stipulate certain criteria. First and foremost, we must ensure coverage of the subsistence minimum. Judged against this benchmark, the current minimum wage falls short," stated Polina Fisticanu, Head of the Social and Economic Protection Department at the CNSM (National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova), during the "Bună Dimineața" program on Moldova 1. The expert estimates that, to cover the subsistence minimum for an employee with one dependent child, the minimum wage would need to be at least 7,300 lei per month. The CNSM representative also highlighted the link between wage levels and future pensions, noting that the state budget covered the shortfall needed to guarantee the minimum pension last year. "Regarding the minimum pension, we see that with a minimum wage of 6,300 lei, a person cannot generate a pension that meets the minimum threshold; consequently, last year, 2.8 billion lei was allocated from the state budget to cover this gap," Fisticanu said. In the view of the trade unions, a portion of these resources could be directed toward wage increases, employee professional development, or investments in public infrastructure. "That is why we must view wage growth—particularly regarding the minimum wage—as a state guarantee. Essentially, it is a guarantee that enables a person to live a modest life, with sufficient funds to cover daily expenses," the CNSM representative explained. **The Gender Pay Gap** However, fair pay goes beyond the minimum wage. Marking International Equal Pay Day—observed annually on September 18—Polina Fisticanu explained that the principle of equal remuneration must apply not only to individuals in the same position but also to employees performing different jobs of comparable value. *"Fair pay means equal remuneration not just for the same roles or occupations, but also for work of equal value. Thus, seemingly different jobs or roles can hold the same value when considering responsibility, professional qualifications, working conditions, and many other aspects,"* she explained. According to the trade unionist, job evaluations should be conducted from a gender-neutral perspective to identify instances where certain activities are undervalued. She also noted that sectors such as social care and education—where the workforce is predominantly female—offer lower remuneration relative to the value of the services provided. *"Unfortunately, there is a very high concentration of women in the care and education sectors. Consequently, we see the resulting gender-based pay disparities,"* Fisticanu stated. She cited gender segregation, stereotypes, and family responsibilities as causes for wage disparities and unequal representation in leadership roles. Women traditionally opt for lower-ranking positions, partly because they often prioritize their families during certain periods and forgo active career advancement. ![video "Bună Dimineața", September 18, 2026](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/87ddd033-fe67-4503-a61e-51870299bd03.jpg) *Sursa: video "Bună Dimineața", September 18, 2026* **Unions call for rapid implementation of the new unified wage system** Regarding public sector remuneration, unions maintain that the new job hierarchy must be implemented as quickly as possible. According to Polina Fisticanu, the job evaluation process under the unified wage system must enable comparisons across fields and prevent situations where some roles are overvalued while others are undervalued. *"We must ensure equal pay not only within a specific field but also across different areas of the public sector, so as not to undervalue or overvalue certain activities to the detriment of others. Consequently, we need clear and transparent wage conditions so that every employee understands the components of their salary,"* she stated. Unions believe the base salary should make up the largest possible share of total remuneration to reduce reliance on bonuses and other variable components. Fisticanu asserts that employers should not act unilaterally when establishing and evaluating wage conditions. Evaluation results must be accessible to employees; should there be any suspicion of wage discrimination, employees may turn to their trade union, the State Labor Inspectorate, or the Council for Equality. According to Polina Fisticanu, the law mandates that employers ensure equal pay for work of equal value. Employees also have the right to know the wage conditions and criteria, as well as the pay levels for different categories, as stipulated by law. She explained that wage disparities do not automatically constitute discrimination, as they may be justified by objective factors. "We must understand that when evaluating roles, we assign a specific weight to each criterion—responsibility, experience, and professional qualifications. We need to assess the importance of each component regarding the duties the employee performs and assign scores to determine the overall value. This allows us to compare two different roles, as we are evaluating the position itself rather than the individuals. We must take into account the job description, responsibilities, qualifications, and capabilities," she explained. If an employee suspects an unjustified disparity, they may request information about pay levels without the employer disclosing other employees' personal data. Fisticanu noted that medium-sized and large enterprises have additional obligations to provide information on pay levels by category, broken down by gender. "When it comes to establishing pay conditions and conducting evaluations, the employer does not act unilaterally but involves the trade union. Consequently, the employer must make the results available. If they are not, the employee, the trade union organization, or employee representatives may request this data. If irregularities are confirmed, the individual can report the matter to the trade union, the State Labor Inspectorate, or the Council for Equality to take the necessary steps to have their rights restored and to ensure their salary aligns with their responsibilities and duties," the CNSM department head pointed out. Addressing public discussions regarding exceptionally high salaries, the CNSM representative noted that, in the case of state-owned enterprises, it is necessary to examine the legal framework and the criteria used to determine remuneration. "There is a great deal of media discussion about 'exorbitant' salaries, largely concerning state-owned enterprises. However, we must bear in mind that a rigid legal framework governs state-owned and monopolistic enterprises; it sets minimum and maximum salary caps for each staff category, as well as limits on additional pay. Consequently, we need to verify the specific criteria used to set salaries in each instance. At the same time, we must consider that there are sectors—including key state-owned enterprises providing services of national interest—where we require qualified personnel whose compensation reflects their specific responsibilities," the CNSM representative concluded. *** According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the average monthly gross wage was 15,594 lei in 2025. However, the data show that the wage gap between women and men persists: women earned, on average, nearly 17% less than men. The projected average monthly wage in the Republic of Moldova for 2026 is 17,400 lei.