- Македонски
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On September 2, 2024, the Presidency of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) held a session in the presence of Mr. Peter Scherrer, Advisor of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Secretariat for the member organisations of the Western Balkan region. The General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Ms. Esther Lynch, via online connection also participated in the session of SSM Presidency and in front of all present presidents and the general public represented by the media shared ETUC mission to support SSM as the biggest trade union, to support other trade unions - members of the joint European trade union family and in general to support the unionism in the Republic of Macedonia.
During the session, many issued related to workers’ rights, the trade union organisations, the importance of the ETUC membership were mentioned, but the main focus remained on the confiscation of the Workers' Home in Skopje, the building who not only represents SSM property for decades, but also is the most important symbol of the trade unionism in the Republic of Macedonia, then the situation with the salaries of the Macedonian citizens was discussed and last but not least the social dialogue in the state was debated among all members of SSM Presidency, Mr. Scherrer and Ms. Lynch. We must say that all the above subjects are top priority for SSM, as the only representative trade union in the country.
After the Presidency session, the President of SSM, Mr. Slobodan Trendafilov, and the General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Ms. Esther Lynch, held a press conference for the media.
The General Secretary of ETUC, Ms. Lynch, who previously was not only just informed of all activities undertaken by SSM through the institutions of the system to annul the illegal decision of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Macedonia that resulted to the confiscation of the property known by the name SSM Workers’ Home, but also actively helped SSM in its fight, through ETUC team of experts, now started her statement in front of the media by emphasizing that the union property is inviolable and most of all it’s significant for maintaining the union's independence.
Her expectations are that the Macedonian judiciary will show expertise and independence in making a correct decision in the direction of protecting the union property because the Workers' Home was built with the funds of the members of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) and therefore it is legitimate, reasonable and justified to not question the ownership of the property anymore. In this way, SSM received once again the support of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in the fight to save its property - the Workers' Home in Skopje, support that existed since the beginning of this procedure and was publicly announced.
- “In this case, which is being conducted in the national courts, it has been shown without a doubt that the Trade Union House (The Workers’ Home) was built by the monetary assets of the members of the Trade Union (SSM) and therefore it is legitimate, reasonable and justified not to question the ownership of the Trade Union House anymore“, said Ms. Esther Lynch in her address to the media.
“We are also here to help our member trade union organisations and to show our support in the process of revival, return and conduction of a real social dialogue, but in this matter the Government is also important, the employers’ organisations are also important, therefore they as well must be prepared for real social dialogue” she later added.
“Trade unions are the legitimate representatives of workers’ and we are here to support them in their fight for dignified wages and dignified working conditions. We are here to stand shoulder to shoulder with our member unions in the fight against the 72-hour working week and we fully support the policy of having Sunday as a non-working day. Scientific research shows that this leads to unsafe working conditions and to conditions that increase all other risks at work” in continuation said the General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Ms. Esther Lynch.
The leadership of SSM, which received support from the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in its fight to save the Workers' Home, announced their expectations that the verdict on the confiscation of the trade union house is changed as soon as possible.
One of the reasons why SSM expects a quick new decision that will without a doubt return the Workers' Home to SSM as its legitimate owner, as President Trendafilov stated, is precisely because of the recent confirmation of corruption of one of the judges who in first place as part of the judicial council of the Supreme Court voted for and was one of the judges who made the shameful verdict on the confiscation. Taking into account all the events surrounding the confiscation of SSM’s building, about which SSM already informed the public, president Trendafilov said that he would give unreserved support for the proposed dissolution of the Judicial Council of our country.
During his discussion, Trendafilov emphasized that the fight for wage growth is not political and that it is a request made by SSM only for the dignity of workers, which should not be politicized by any entity. At the same time, he called for willingness for all problems to be solved through social dialogue and he also noted that without a doubt the growth of the minimum wage and of all wages must be at the top of the new Government's agenda and working program.
"Our fight for wage growth and for the conclusion of collective agreements is not a political fight as someone wants to present it to the public. Our struggle is for a dignified life that must come from our labor, where without a doubt and only by having dignified wages will enable us to survive at the end of the month. Our expectation of wage growth and wage adjustment in accordance with the envisioned provisions is a need that should have already happened because tomorrow may be too late. For all these reasons and more, we repeat this public call to all social partners, to sit together, jointly and through social dialogue, as social partners, to find a solution to all problems and challenges" - said Slobodan Trendafilov, president of SSM.
SSM requested conclusions of collective agreements and their annexes, in order for the employees in the Republic of Macedonia to also have the chance to receive the calculation of the salary that the government officials receive, to receive an average salary according to the complexity coefficient, and thus receive an increase in their salaries between 12 and 15 percent next year.
-"Today we expect the Government, as social partner, to make an effort to provide financial resources, to find a way and opportunities for harmonizing the salaries of many of our colleagues, especially in the public sector, in all those fields of work that are absolutely necessary for the country, where unfortunately the adjustment of salaries was not possible to be implemented, solely because of the electoral process. We call for respect and implementation of the existing collective agreements and reestablishing a social dialogue through which we will manage to convey our expectations and their possibilities and will allow us to find a solution that will only bring good for the workers. Every other activity or decision opposite to all the above will exclusively bring damage to the workers and thus will cause the detriment of the state," said Trendafilov.
SSM strongly and loudly demands conclusion of the General Collective Agreement for the private sector, the signing of the annexes to the existing collective agreements for harmonizing the wages of employees in the public sector, as well as an increase in the minimum wage, which is unfortunately being politicized lately, completely ignoring the fact that the minimum wage not only is used as tool for protection against the violation of workers’ rights when it comes to the area of their salaries, but also stays as reminder that no employee in our country should receive a salary below that amount.
The future steps of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) will be in the direction of supporting all future trade union actions of the branch trade unions that are fighting for the increase in the salaries of their members, especially in those fields of work or in those activities where workers did not receive any adjustment of their salaries and where the need for the increase in the minimum wage is a top priority and where should have happened way before.
"On May 1, when we raised this important issue for workers and we started raising awareness about many other important issues, our country did not have a government in power. Even in that pre-elections and during the period of the elections, we openly said that in the near future our request for a minimum wage of the amount of 450 euros will soon become a request of the past and that in that moment we will have to talk about growth of the minimum wage in the amount of 600 or even 800 euros. We make this assumptions having in mind that because of all the said above Macedonian workers these last few years go to work in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia. Therefore SSM will take actions precisely in this direction, so as a result when the branch trade unions make a decision on taking some kind of trade union action, as we have for example today in Bitola, when our colleagues from the Independent Union for Education and Science will protest, then the strike of the employees of the Macedonian Academy of Science and Arts in Skopje, we will give unconditional support to them and if necessary, we will stand side by side with our colleagues on the streets. We believe that there is an open opportunity and we will have an understanding in the future for the necessity of the salary growth of all employees in the state," said Trendafilov.
“Raising the question about the minimum wage should not worry anyone, mainly because the minimum wage is only determined and represents the bare minimum or the amount under which none salary can be calculated in the country. Unfortunately, in the Republic of Macedonia, 10,000 workers receive a salary of less than 22,567 denars, and 25,000 workers receive just the amount of the minimum wage, which is not only illegal but also is a criminal act”, said the president of SSM as finish to his statement.
In the end, Ms. Lynch once again emphasized that SSM and the other trade unions are the legitimate representatives of the workers and that she as General Secretary of ETUC fully supports them in their struggle for decent wages and decent working conditions, that ETUC will stand together with their member organisations in their activities for improving the position of workers and trade unions in the country, no matter if through campaigns, or further actions that will result in enacting legislation for the protection and promotion of labor rights and will enable solving all open issues that are important for workers. In this matter re-establishing a real and productive social dialogue is also of importance, where the Government, the employers’ organisations, SSM as the only representative trade union and all other unions as well must show their readiness and to show that only together as equal partners can work in the name of making life and the position in society for all citizens and workers in the state better.
