Today the first meeting of the Economic and Social Council was held in the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy after the establishment of the new Government.
The meeting was attended by Jagoda Shahpaska, Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Fatmir Bitiki - Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic affairs and coordination with economic departments, Darko Dimovski, President of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia, Zivko Danevski, President of Agro Union, Ljupco Radovski, President of STKC, Peco Grujovski, President of UPOZ, Zlatko Cvetkovski, Secretary of the Council of CCM and Angel Dimitrov, President of the Employers’ Organization of Macedonia - EOM.
The President of SSM, Dimovski on the meeting emphasized that the intention of workers is not companies to be closed and workers to lose their jobs, but on the contrary, to preserve and contribute to them, and the labor to be paid in accordance with the law and collective agreements. By that, the actual payment of salaries and their contributions can additionally contribute to the state budget.
President Dimovski appealed for adoption of the new Labor Law as soon as possible, but pointed out that it is a matter that must be approached very seriously.
The Labor Minister Shahpaska emphasized that the Ministry remains open for cooperation with all partners and that the Ministry's goal is to find solutions to the problems of both workers and employers through joint contacts and negotiations. The solutions achieved through the social dialogue must be applicable and acceptable to all parties in the dialogue.
The Minister also appealed to more intensive and more frequent meetings in the framework of the Economic and Social Council where the labor policies shall be jointly created.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Bitiki stressed that the dialogue with all stakeholders for the development of the country is crucial for the new Government, and it is extremely important to have an open and regular communication and meetings at highest level.
The President of ORM, Dimitrov stressed that the problems caused by COVID - 19 exist and will be present for an even longer period, and some sectors will have very difficult moments in the coming months, that is why we need to see all the weaknesses of the previous measures and eliminate them when preparing future steps.
