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The first free trade union Congress of workers in Macedonia, in addition to its mobilizing significance, also contributed significantly to the further organizational consolidation and empowerment of the trade unions for the construction of the country.
The period from the first Congress of the SSM onwards is of great importance for the working class, and the SSM as a class workers' organization included almost the entire working class in Macedonia.
Since its foundation, the Union of Trade Unions of Macedonia has had 19 presidents, and the current president is Darko Dimovski.
With pride today, the SSM is the most significant part of trade union history, and the activity of the SSM continues to be a hallmark of trade unionism in the country.
SSM functions as the oldest, representative union and social partner in the country and prioritizes activities and measures that will contribute to the revival and development of the economy as a basis for the overall progress of society, and the rights, interests, and needs of workers are a priority.
Today, the Union of Trade Unions of Macedonia is the only representative trade union in both the public and private sectors.
In the year when it marks 76 years of its existence, with hard work and continuous activities, SSM maintained its position as a representative trade union and national social partner, at the same time, SSM continues to be the most numerous union in the country, which everyone recognizes.
As more significant benefits and activities from the engagement of SSM, for the current year 2022, which are recognized and respected by the membership and workers, we single out:
FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE
During the first six months of 2022, the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia recorded a total of 34,674 appeals for workers on various grounds for the protection of employment rights, of which the Department for Labor Relations and Legal Protection, RSP, and SC, 22,052 appeals for workers. , and through the SSM mobile application - my labor rights, 12,622 addresses for workers.
SUNDAY DAY FOR WEEKLY REST
The Union of Trade Unions of Macedonia, as a representative trade union and national social partner in the country, was the initiator and the biggest supporter of the legal changes that make Sunday a non-working day for the largest number of employees in the country, and therefore we emphasize that Sunday is finally a day of weekly rest and is a reality as much as certain employers may not like it.
The workers already feel the benefit of this right, the day of weekly rest to be a Sunday, which is regulated in the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Labor Relations Official Gazette No. 288 of December 21, 2021, and the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on trade Official Gazette No. 295 of December 27, 2021, which is fully in accordance with the above and Article 32 of the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia that every employee has the right to a paid weekly holiday and that workers may not waive this right, and employers they must not limit it.
MINIMUM SALARY IN THE AMOUNT OF 18,000 DENARS, BUT NOT LESS THAN 57% OF THE AVERAGE SALARY
On the initiative of the SSM, through social dialogue, the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Minimum Wage in the Republic of North Macedonia was adopted, Sl. Journal no. 41 /22
With the amendments to the law, the minimum wage is MKD 18,000, and the criteria for annual adjustment of the minimum wage with 50% of the annual growth of the average wage and 50% of the growth of the cost of living, according to the data from the State Statistics Office, are also changed.
As a result of the legal amendments, about 80,000 workers and citizens received a salary increase from 15,194 to 18,000 denars.
In order to systematically solve the issue of the minimum wage, the legal amendments stipulate that the amount of the minimum wage cannot be lower than 57% of the average wage published by the State Statistics Office for the previous year.
LABOR PROTESTS
On 04.02.2022, all the strike boards and the Presidency and Council of SSM, together with the members of the bodies and bodies of the trade unions united in SSM, came out for a protest (STAND UP FOR YOUR SALARY TOO) in front of the headquarters of the Organization of Employers of Macedonia and the Chamber of Commerce supported by the workers.
On April 7 and 8, a stoppage of the labor process was organized by the UPOZ Union at the SSM with full support from the SSM, where the members of the UPOZ Union expressed their dissatisfaction through the interruption of the work process, demanding decent living wages.
On April 14, SSM, the Trade Union of Macedonian Post, and the Trade Union Organization of AD Post together with the workers organized a strike in Macedonian Post.
On May 1, the SSM with the unions united in the SSM organized a May Day protest for a decent wage, more than 7,500 workers came out to the protest marching side by side from in front of the SSM building through the Parliament, the headquarters of the Employers' Organization and the Macedonian Chamber of Commerce to the Government of Macedonia making it clear that there is a huge revolt among workers over low wages.
On July 28 and 29, SSM together with SRSVM and the Union at the Kolska railway vehicle factory from Veles organized a blockade of rail transport at the railway station in Veles and a strike on the streets of Veles with a blockade of the city center and the offices of the Public Revenue Administration.
GENERAL STRIKE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
At the session held on June 6, 2022, the SSM Council made the Decision to call and start a strike.
According to the decision to call and start a strike, the employees in the public sector went on strike, the strike started on 22.06.2022 at 00:00, and the strikers went on strike at their workplaces, but other forms of labor dissatisfaction and union pressure were also applied.
The strike is organized for the protection of economic and social rights and the realization of the following demands from employment:
- conclusion of a General Collective Agreement for the public sector with a determined increase in the wages of employees in the public sector by MKD 2,806 in net amount in accordance with the increase in the minimum wage published in Sl. Journal of RSM no. 41 of February 24, 2022 and established the right to annual leave in the amount of 30% to 100% of the base.
Although the general strike was successful in the largest number of sectors where the workers already receive the increased salary, it is still ongoing where the demands for salary adjustment have not been met.
SSM is your trade union
