The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia calls relevant stakeholders to make efforts when creating the fourth package of economic measures the main emphasis to be put on the help to the workers, companies and public services in order to survive this crisis.
All measures should be aimed at preserving jobs, while protecting workers against unemployment, loss of income and mitigating financial losses.
People who are ill, taking care for the family or unable to work due to the coronavirus should not suffer financially, and therefore, the Government should provide financial assistance to all employees.
In this regard we demand:
1. The Government to provide financial assistance and support to companies that will not be able to carry out business ventures due to the virus or will perform them at a significantly reduced scale, primarily and exclusively to provide funds for workers' wages;
SSM demands the wage subsidies as a measure to continue in future, where production is reduced by more than 30%, but to be paid directly to the workers' accounts.
We ask for postponement (Moratorium) of 6 months of all debts referring to enforcement agents, banks, state bodies, judicial bodies, of the family households whose total income is less than the Trade Union Consumer Basket.
2. Workers who have so far used measures such as chronically ill, pregnant women, childcare up to 10 years of age, to be paid in the amount of their salary, without reducing it.
Mothers to have the right to paid maternity leave, whose employment contract has been terminated on any grounds.
3. SSM proposes the compensation of the salary for the absence from work due to infection from Covid-19, isolation and selfisolation due to exposure to Covid-19 to be 100% of the base determined by law.
The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia believes that the infection with Covid-19 should be considered as an occupational disease not only for the health professionals, but also for all workers from other sectors employed in institutions where exposure to Covid- 19 is possible.
5. Public procurement by the State bodies, to be exclusively from domestic companies.
Starting from the fact that the all competent institutions indicate that this new normality caused by Covid-19 will last for a longer period in the future, SSM expects the Government to undertake greater commitment to provide new investments from domestic and foreign origin and provide economic measures for more efficient adjustment of the companies to continue with the economic ventures in order to provide real and sustainable jobs.
We also demand from the Government, the financial support and investments to be provided only to companies that respect the Laws and Collective Agreements, that have not misused funds from the financial support from the State and that have unfounded layoffs, as well as to oblige companies that will receive financial support and investment to return the workers whose employment was terminated.
We propose that one of the conditions for providing financial support and investments by the State to be trade union organizing in the company, so that we as workers' representatives can guarantee and control the use of funds, aimed at workers’ protection.
Sincerely yours,
Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia
President
Darko Dimovski
