- Македонски
- English
The second session of the Economic and Social Council was held today, in which the President of SSM Slobodan Trendafilov, the President of UPOZ Trpe Deanoski, the President of the Independent Trade Union for Health, Pharmacy and Social Protection Ljubisa Karanfilovski, the President of SUTKOZ Stojanche Kashikovski and the President of SKRM Vera Atanasovska participated as representatives from SSM, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, Minister of Economy and Labor Besar Durmishi, the Minister of Finance Gordana Dimitrieska-Kochoska, as well as the Deputy Ministers of Economy and Labor Marjan Ristevski and Social Policy Drmography and Youth Gjoko Velkovski, and social partners from the Organization of Employers of Macedonia.
At the session, the proposal for the Budget for 2025 was presented, and the increase in wages in the public sector and the request for an increase in the minimum wage were discussed.
The President of SSM Slobodan Trendafilov pointed out that for the first time in a long time, funds for salary growth of more than ten percent are foreseen in the Budget, and he noted that it is good that in the budget for 2025, for the first time, a high 13.8 percent more money has been allocated for payment of wages and that this money should be distributed on the basis of the General Collective Agreement for the public sector, whereby all workers from the month of March will receive an increase in their wages according to the increase in the average wage, and according to job complexity coefficients.
At the same time, in the name of SSM, he presented the arguments for the need to increase the minimum wage to at least 450 euros.
Our arguments are sustained especially due to the disturbed standard of living with the constant growth of the union minimum wage, which from the beginning of the year to today has grown by more than 4,800 denars, should be a sufficient motive for raising the minimum wage. The growth of wages in the region is also a wind at the back of the workers and the labor struggle. The minimum wage in the region is:
1. Bosnia - Republika Srpska 460 euros (620 minimum income)
2. Serbia is now 423 euros, from January 1, 2025, 454 euros
3. Montenegro 600 euros for those with completed secondary education, and 800 euros for those with higher education
4. Croatia 750 euros
5. Albania 386 euros
6. Macedonia 367 euros
7. Slovenia 1,254 euros
From the first session of the ESS until today, the SSM held regular meetings with Government and employer representatives on the demands of May 1, such as the salary increase and the increase in the minimum wage.
In a statement to the media, the President of SSM emphasized the following:
- At today's session of the Economic and Social Council (ESC), we said that salaries in Macedonia must rise. Fortunately for us, no one at the meeting said that this should not happen. I believe that the arguments that we presented - the low standard of living, the more difficult life here, the increase in wages in the region that surrounds us, where the Macedonian workers most often leave, give us a position in which we can consider that we can reach some kind of solution in the coming days, said Trendafilov
"Today, we discussed the minimum wage as much as we discussed the salaries of employees in the public sector, we, at least from the Union of Trade Unions of Macedonia. You will have to ask the other unions who did not ask for anything for the workers" !
We believe that with the increase in wages in the public sector, there will not be a single worker on the minimum wage, that is, on a salary below 450 euros, and there will be no financial burden if the minimum wage in the coming months increases to at least 450 euros. We suggested to the Organization of Employers, that is, to employers from the private sector, to legalize what they are doing today illegally by paying employees in an envelope. What has been confirmed as information is that 540,000 workers in Macedonia receive a salary through MPIN in the IRS, while, according to the State Statistics Office, more than 691,000 workers are registered in Macedonia, which means that 160,000 workers are on contract. I think that is unacceptable in a country, Trendafilov said.
This confirms that the state loses more than 250 million euros annually based on social insurance contributions.
He reminded that in 2022 the employers also had resistance to the increase of the minimum wage.
We can no longer bear to live with such miserable salaries given by employers in the private sector. They can say, make statements about whether salaries should be increased or not, but be careful the next time they say that there is no workforce in Macedonia. Trendafilov emphasizes that they are the biggest culprits for the emigration of qualified workers from Macedonia.
