The financial support for the payment of salaries does not mean legalization of the payment of a lower salary than the salary determined by law, the Collective Agreement and the Employment Agreement.
In the new Draft-Law on Financial Support to Employers affected by the health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus, due to the payment of salaries for the months of October, November and December 2020, on today's session in the Parliament, at the request of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia, it was determined that:
The employer who will use financial support for the payment of salaries for the employee, is obliged to pay the salary at least up to the amount of the received financial support but not less than the amount of the minimum wage determined by the Law on Minimum Wage.
This means that the employer is obliged to pay the employee's salary in the amount determined in accordance with the Law, the Collective Agreement and the Employment Agreement.
The difference between the financial support and the amount of the salary determined in the Employment Contract, the employer is obliged to pay to the worker from its own funds.
This decision puts an end to the abuses by unscrupulous employers who received financial support from the State for payment of wages, and paid less to the workers than the amount of funds received or in some case did not pay wages at all.
Additionally, at the request of SSM, the dismissal of employees for the duration of the financial support is prevented for two months after the end of the month for which the financial support was used, and the number of employees at the employer who uses financial support for payment of salaries, in relation to the number of employees in the month for which he used financial support must not be reduced.
At the insistence of SSM, fines of up to 10,000 euros and criminal liability are envisaged for employers who will misuse the received funds.
