COUNTRY

Employment contracts in Moldova must be in writing with the employer and the employee each receiving one signed copy. If the contract includes a probation period, it may not be longer than six months. For unskilled workers, the probation period may not be longer than 30 days, and it should be the exception rather than the rule. Workers under the age of 18, pregnant women and certain other categories of workers may not be required to complete a probation period.

Employment contracts are for either an indefinite term or for a fixed-term, which may not be more than five years. Fixed-term contracts are only permitted when there is a legally recognized reason for them, although in practice there are many acceptable reasons, some of which are filling in for a temporarily absent employee, performing work which will be completed over a definite period of time and employing creative workers in artistic fields.

The workweek in Moldova is capped at 40 hours and is normally five days, although an employer may establish a workweek of six days. Workers who work under conditions that the government recognizes as harmful are limited to 35 hours per week. The workday is normally eight hours and may not exceed 10 hours, although collective bargaining agreements may establish 12-hour days, which must be followed by a minimum of 24 hours of rest. Shifts at night (from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) for employees who normally work full time during the day are one hour shorter than daytime shifts. Workers with disabilities may work limited hours based on a doctor’s recommendation.

Overtime work is limited to 120 hours per year, or 240 hours if there is an agreement between the employer and the employees' representatives. The first two hours of overtime are paid at 150% of the employee’s standard hourly rate, and additional hours of overtime are paid at 200% of the employee’s standard hourly rate. Work on holidays or on an employee’s day off is either paid at double the employee’s usual rate, or the employee may choose to receive their normal rate of pay and an unpaid day off on a day on which they would normally work.

Employees are not entitled to a particular number of days of sick leave in Moldova. The employee must provide the employer with a valid medical certificate. The employer pays the employee during the first five days of sick leave, and a social security payment is available from the sixth day.

Maternity leave in Moldova is 126 days, 70 days before the birth and 56 days after. Paternity leave is 14 days. The government pays for both maternity and paternity leave.

Moldova has a minimum wage. Bonuses are often performance based or paid near the end of the year.

Employees receive 28 days of paid annual leave in Moldova.

In Moldova, the public holidays are:

• New Year’s Day

• Orthodox Christmas

• International Women’s Day

• Orthodox Easter Monday

• Memorial Day / Parents' Day

• Labor Day

• Victory and Commemoration Day

• Children’s Day

• Independence Day

• National Language Day

• Roman Catholic Christmas

Moldova has universal healthcare.

Employers may terminate employees in Moldova for legally recognized reasons. Acceptable reasons may be related to the employer’s economic situation, the employee’s inability to perform their job or the employee’s conduct. The employer must provide one month of notice if terminating an employee for most performance reasons. Notice is not required if the employee is being terminated for severe misconduct. If an employer seeks to terminate an employee who is a member of a union, the employer must hold a preliminary consultation with the union before dismissing them. The union must indicate its agreement or disagreement within 10 days of the consultation.

An employee may quit their job by giving the employer 14 days of written notice. Employees who are retiring on pension, taking childcare leave, enrolling in an educational institution, moving or leaving their jobs for certain other legally recognized reasons may resign with a shorter notice period.

Fixed-term contracts normally terminate by expiration. If the employment relationship continues after the expiration date with neither the employer nor the employee terminating the contract, it is automatically converted to a contract for an indefinite term. In the event the employer is liquidating or closing down, employees receive severance pay equaling one average week of salary for every year worked, with a minimum of one month and maximum of six months of salary. The employer may owe additional severance payments in the second and third months after the termination if the employee has not found a new job.