Employees of the public sector are set to receive significant financial support, as payments of the allowance for hazardous and unhealthy work for specific positions within the Ministry of Rural Development and Food.

The relevant Joint Ministerial Decision provides for retroactive payments starting from July 1, 2025, with amounts ranging from 840 to 1,800 euros, depending on each employee’s category and length of service.

A basic requirement is that beneficiaries be employed full-time and exclusively in workplaces and job roles that justify the payment of the allowance.

The two categories of beneficiaries and the amounts

The ministerial decision divides beneficiaries into two groups, with different allowance amounts.

The first category includes:

  • Employees in the PE Geotechnical sector with a specialization in PE Veterinarians, except for those serving exclusively in administrative positions.
  • Staff Indoor Cleaning Workers.

These employees will receive 150 euros per month.

The second category includes employees working in the ministry’s organizational units, such as:

  • Laboratory chemists
  • Laboratory Agronomists
  • Food technologists
  • Medical and Biological Laboratory Assistants
  • Other related professions

For these professionals, the allowance is set at 70 euros per month.

When does payment of the allowance cease

The granting of the allowance is directly linked to the employee’s duties and working conditions.

If an employee is removed, for any reason, from the position or role that justifies the provision of the allowance, payment is immediately suspended at the discretion of the competent authority.

Furthermore, the allowance is not paid to:

  • Heads of organizational units.
  • Employees who perform exclusively administrative duties.

However, there is an exception for certain heads of organizational units who continue to provide services in areas where the conditions for granting the allowance apply.

In addition, employees on union leave continue to receive it as usual.

On the table: retroactive payments for retired employees

At the same time, the Ministry of Labor is pushing forward measures concerning working retirees, paving the way for retroactive payments averaging 2,500 euros.

The changes are linked to the recalculation of pensions and apply to those who continued working after retirement and subsequently ceased their professional activity.

The regulation is estimated to affect tens of thousands of retirees, who expect both increases in their benefits and the payment of retroactive amounts resulting from the new calculation.