PROCLAMATION- FIRST OF MAY, 2019
This First of May, as well, the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia continues the tradition of organizing a trade union march with which we want to express the unity and support to the unions across Europe and the world in the fight for decent and dignified life for the workers and citizens.
The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia is the voice of the workers in the country and with the Union march we want to emphasize that we support changes and building better economic and social development, but we do not agree with the pace of their realization.
We are committed to faster responses by the relevant institutions to create a climate and conditions for economic development in which decent, paid, healthy and safe work of workers will be ensured.
We strive for accountability for the realization of the agreed by all institutions and participation of workers in the creation of the country's development and its priorities.
We strongly condemn any attempt that we, as unions, are to be placed on the margins of society and someone else to decide on our position and rights without our participation and without respect and acceptance of our proposals and opinions, because we, the unions, are the voice of the workers.
The promotion of the labor rights is our statutory determination and all our activities as the representative, oldest and most numerous trade union in the country are directed towards their preservation and promotion.
On the First of May, the International Labor we shall once again express our views and demands on workers' rights, which we believe and claim to belong to the workers, because they are the basic and most important human rights protected by the national constitution and laws, but also with the European and international labor standards.
The requirements, which we, as the largest union in the state, represent and advocate, are international, because they are existential and depend on the quality of life of the workers and their families.
In the year in which activities for drafting a new Labor Law take place, we expect to be the pillar of its creation in the direction of its adaptation to the European and global labor legislation. The Euro-Atlantic integration of labor law legislation in the State must not result in restrictions on labor rights, on the contrary, the trade union expects their promotion and modernization with the ultimate goal of securing the dignity of the labor of the workers.
We offered a text of a new Labor Law, and we expect it to be seriously considered by our social partners and if they want more productivity of the workers, and therefore faster economic development of the country, they should and must show a sense about our requirements that are within the European and international labor principles.
In our proposals, we are committed to:
- More investments, better economic policies and ensuring the right to work for all
- Creating real and sustainable jobs
- More jobs for women, youth and people with disabilities
- Job security and indefinite employment contracts
- Stop to fixed-term contracts for more than one year
- Healthy and safe jobs
- Minimum salary of at least 13,800.00 MKD
- Increase of wages - wages to grow, young people to stay
- Social security and protection
- Stable pension system - stop to the increase of the retirement age limit
- Deleting the control period for overtime work, night work and work on a day of weekly rest
- Increase of severance pay to 12 salaries for dismissals due to business reasons
- Saturday and Sunday, days of weekly rest
- Right to annual leave recourse for all employees
- Gender equality
- Stop to mobbing and discrimination
- Protection of motherhood and increase of maternity leave to 12 months
- Introduction of the right to paternity
- Adjustment of the workers' rights with the CA, and not with the act and the exclusive right of the employer
- Stop to the interference in trade union organization
- Against a separate Law on Trade Unions
- Promotion of an active, real and quality social dialogue
The stated demands and commitments of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia are progressive, developmental and motivating.
We propose joint and equal participation of all social partners in organizing the economic and social development through social dialogue and negotiation. For the strategies, policies and decisions we jointly bring, the responsibility of everyone will be greater, and accountability is compulsory.
CCM, as the voice of the workers, has completed its part of the obligation, our requests and the draft text of a new Labor Law have been submitted to the Government, now the Government has to make the move. We strongly believe that there are realistic assumptions and conditions that the Government should invite us to agree on the dynamics of the activities for our proposals for the promotion of the national development.
Only by joint action we shall be at the height of the task of securing a society without discrimination with good living conditions for all. The membership of CCM is impatient and we consider that now it is the time for action, and not for promises, we call on the Government to quickly and efficiently cooperate in order together to determine the priorities and dynamics of our further activities.
