New Amendment to Labor Code Aims to Protect Workers' Rights
The labor code has decided to tighten its grip, but this time with a financial guarantee. This is the spirit of the new amendment to Article 30 of the Labor Code, recently enacted, and on which the Ministry of Economy and Planning has provided clarification.
Objective: Better Protection of Workers' Rights
The idea is to better protect the social rights of workers, particularly those employed under subcontracting or service contracts, a sector where payment delays are sometimes more frequent than staff meetings. The reform now requires contracting companies to subscribe to a financial guarantee with a bank, equivalent to 20% of the contract amount. This amount must remain mobilized for the entire duration of the contract, to remind us that social protection is not an option to be activated at the end of the mission.
Financial Guarantee: A Safety Net for Workers
This guarantee will serve as a plan B in case of default or late payment: unpaid salaries, pending social rights, forgotten contributions... everything can be covered. In other words, the worker is no longer condemned to wait for "the situation to be resolved," a well-known expression in the corridors of companies in difficulty.
Ministry of Economy Provides Clarification
As reported by the TAP agency, these clarifications were published on the portal of the Assembly of People's Representatives, in response to a written question from a deputy wondering about the financial impact of the measure. On this point, the Ministry of Economy remains cautious. It is still too early to objectively measure the economic effects of the amendment, as the law is very recent.
A Delicate Balance Between Worker Protection and Business Survival
A caution that is not just administrative. Diagnostics have highlighted a less reassuring reality: many affected companies, particularly SMEs, are already suffering from limited access to financing, increased financial fragility, and credit mechanisms that are not adapted to their real needs. Aware of this delicate balance between worker protection and business survival, the state is focusing its efforts on developing alternative financing mechanisms. Its ultimate goal is to facilitate SMEs' access to financial resources, particularly through lines of financing with advantageous conditions, so that the law does not become an economic obstacle.
A Equation to Monitor
The amendment to Article 30 therefore marks a significant social advance, by establishing a real safety net for workers. It now remains to be seen how companies, and especially SMEs, will adapt to this new situation. For between social justice and economic reality, the balance is often as fragile as a contract without a guarantee. And this time, precisely, the guarantee has become mandatory.
