Trade union minimum consumers’ basket

On February 24, 2011 Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia CCM presented its Trade Union minimum Consumers’ basket.

According to the views of CCM, the trade union minimum basket is more realistic model of calculating the costs of life of the "consumers’ basket" prepared by the State Statistics Office.

The development of the trade union basket starts from the values and prices of statistical consumer basket. The value of statistical basket, which includes 63 products in 2010 was between 11.900 and 12.650 denars. However, the food and drinks are not the only expense for normal functioning of a family.

The type of the assumed household is family of four who lives in a house of 50 square meters and owns a car. The trade union minimal basket includes seven groups:

1. Food and drinks
2. Housing
3. Hygiene
4. Transportation
5. Clothing and footwear
6. Culture
7. Maintenance and health.

The first group of costs is transferred by the State Statistics Office, because those 63 products, although not expressing the full nutritional requirements, they express possibilities, habits and traditions in the diet. That value in CCM’s table is taken not as an average, but as a minimum value.

Housing has two subgroups: communal expenses, with five elements, furnishings, equipment and house maintenance, which will be monitored through 13 goods.

Hygiene has two subgroups - personal hygiene products and with seven home hygiene products. These items are minimum quantities at the lowest prices.

Transportation costs are expressed at minimum bases with two monthly bus tickets, one regular and one for students.

Clothing and footwear include purchase of 1 piece of clothing and footwear for each family member by season.

The calculation of culture expenses includes the costs of three products, one visit of cinema, one regular weekly and one daily newspaper.

Health includes basic expenses for medications, without chronic diseases medications.

Not included costs are recreation costs, education, hotels and restaurants, family celebrations, not because they are not needed, but because the basket calculates only necessary expenses.

If we compare the average net salary for December 2010 of 20.633 denars, the average salary covers 70 % of the minimum Trade Union basket. This means that it takes at least 42 % more money for a normal life. However, only 9.1 % of employees have salaries higher than 20.000 denars and 2.3 % have salaries higher than 30.000 denars.

Changes of the prices are also dynamic. Especially vary the regulated price of electricity, heating, water, which last year went up, and living costs are higher now.

The value of the Minimum Trade Union basket in December 2010
was 29.199 denars

The value of the Minimum Trade Union Basket in March 2011 was 30.431denars