Employment

The main legislation framework on employment consists of the Moldovan Republic Labour Code, Law No. 154-XV, as of March 28, 2003. It covers collective employment agreements, individual labour agreements, employees, data protection, employment of foreign citizens, work and resident permits, working hours and resting time, remuneration and work quota setting, guarantees and indemnifications, and so on. Labour legislation provides employees with a minimum of guaranteed rights, which may not be limited by employment agreements.

Besides the Labour Code, employment in the Republic of Moldova is also regulated by collective labour conventions (on a national, territorial, branch and company level) and special laws.
Employment legislation establishes the obligation of concluding written individual employment agreements. As a general rule, agreements are concluded for an indefinite period, but in some particular cases agreements may be concluded for a fixed term. Agreements must contain provisions on employees` position, salary level, working conditions and other mandatory matters.

Employment agreements may stipulate probationary periods of up to 3 months, or up to 6 months in case of certain employee categories (manager, chief accountant etc.). During probationary periods employees benefit from all rights and must carry out responsibilities, as stipulated in the labour legislation, company regulations, collective or individual labour agreements.
Employers may not negotiate and establish basic salaries lower than the national minimum gross salary. The amount in (2020 y.) was estimated on MDL 17,37 per hour, or MDL 2935 (about EUR 150) per month for privately-owned companies.
The State Labour Inspectorate, trade unions and other bodies are responsible for the supervision and control of compliance with employment law, collective agreements and collective labour agreements by all companies.