- Македонски
- English
This year, on May 1st, let's protest, not march - said the president of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM), Slobodan Trendafilov, at the beginning of the press conference held at the SSM Workers' House, thus announcing the traditional May Day march of trade unionists. The main motive for expressing protest this May 1st, as he said, is the undignified salaries and working conditions, emphasizing that it will begin at 11 a.m. in front of the SSM Workers' House, and all trade unions within the SSM, other trade unions, workers, citizens, fighters and human rights activists are invited to participate, in order to jointly fight for a minimum wage of 500 euros and an increase in all salaries in the country by 100 euros.
"The Confederation of Trade Unions of Macedonia calls for a protest that will begin at 11 a.m. in front of the Workers' House on May 1st. We call on the unions affiliated with the SSM and their members, we call on other unions, we call on workers, citizens, fighters and activists for workers' rights, we call on all who think well of the worker to join us on this May 1st and through a protest to express workers' dissatisfaction because wages in Macedonia are miserable, they are not increasing as foreseen in the collective agreements, and the Government and employers refuse to increase the minimum wage to 500 euros and to increase all other wages by at least 100 euros," began his address by the President of the SSM, Slobodan Trendafilov.
The leader of the SSM said that the time for barbecues on this day is over and that mass participation is key because at the moment everyone is against the CSM and the workers. It is not a time for beer and barbecue, Trendafilov said, but for protest and expression of workers' dissatisfaction.
"Today is not a time when we should celebrate; we should change the tradition, and we, like all other countries in the EU, should go out to protest and thus express workers' dissatisfaction. The more you come and the more we come, the more we will get. The government and employers are counting on us. That is why I call on those workers who believe that they are humiliated and have low salaries to protest, and who believe that they should stand shoulder to shoulder with the SSM in the fight for improving workers' rights, for higher salaries and dignified working conditions."
“At the moment, everyone is against the Confederation of Trade Unions of Macedonia, including the Government, employers and other unions, just because we are demanding a wage increase, because we are demanding an increase in the minimum wage and because we are demanding decent wages and decent working conditions. Workers should be encouraged and stand with us. No one can threaten workers and no one can threaten unions,” said Slobodan Trendafilov, President of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Macedonia.
Asked about the Prime Minister’s position that unions should reach an agreement with employers on the minimum wage, the President of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Macedonia said that the messages from the Government to employers over the past two months have been that they should never sit down at a common table with unions and discuss wages.
“It is crucial that so far no one rejects the second proposal of the SSM to exempt employers from paying contributions for the difference of 100 euros to reach a minimum wage of 500 euros. From what I hear, the employers are on the same page as the union, however, the fear that has arisen in the past two months is deterring them from sitting down and talking to us, perhaps also because the Economic and Social Council cannot meet, because the SSM has still not been able to obtain representativeness for five months since it duly submitted the Request for Determination and Confirmation of its Representativeness.”
“We have been waiting for five months for the determination of representativeness, so that we can sit at the table as an equal partner, and we have been waiting for five months for the minimum wage to be increased to at least 500 euros,” the President of the CSM emphasised.
Continuing on the issue of representativeness, Trendafilov said that the Government is deliberately delaying the determination of which union is representative, which would mean being able to be part of the Economic and Social Council, where representatives of the Government, employers and unions sit and where decisions are made about the minimum wage. The leader of the SSM stressed that he does not know when the representativeness will be determined, but said that the government is doing everything it can to prevent an agreement on the minimum wage by attacking the union.
"Unfortunately, no session of the Commission for Determining Representativeness has been scheduled for last week or this week. We will see if this will be done next week before May 1st or after May 1st," Trendafilov said, emphasizing that "Unfortunately, the messages that the Government has sent to employers over the past two months are not to sit down to discuss raising wages and to attack us as the SSM as much as possible."
Referring to the unpaid March salaries for cultural workers, Trendafilov said that according to his data, salaries have not been paid not only to cultural workers, but also to employees in the Ministry of Economy and Labor, the State Market Inspectorate (DPI), the State Labor Inspectorate (DIT), part of the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Water Management Department and other institutions in the public sector, as well as a large number of workers in the private sector.
"There are many reasons 'for' and none 'against' going out to protest on May 1. Today, unfortunately, a huge number of workers in the private sector have not received their salaries for the month of March. Today, a huge number of institutions in the public sector have not received their salaries for the month of March. Our findings are that a large number of workers after the Easter holidays have unfortunately not yet received their salaries and were left with an empty table during the holiday," Trendafilov said.
"The employees in the cultural sector who protested yesterday have not received their salaries as of this morning. My information is that, unfortunately, the employees in the Ministry of Economy and Labour have not yet received their salaries. It is especially serious that the employees in the inspectorates who are supposed to help workers the most and prevent all irregularities in the payment of salaries in the private and public sector,s have not received their salaries either. The employees in the Water Management Company have also not received their salaries, where there has been great pressure on workers to leave the SSM and join another union," Trendafilov said.
He noted that in this case, the workers have the right to file lawsuits based on collective agreements, but said that what he finds worrying is that someone wants to cause the collapse of the state budget through lawsuits by law firms that would then incur huge legal costs.
“Workers have the right to sue based on collective agreements, but what worries us is that someone consciously wants to cause the collapse of the state budget through lawsuits by law firms and lawyers who would then charge huge legal fees,” Trendafilov concluded, adding:
“If the fact that you have not been paid your salary is not enough motivation for you to support us and thus support and help yourself, then I don’t know what would be a greater motivation for workers in Macedonia to come out to the announced May 1st Protest of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (CSM) and together, shoulder to shoulder, fight for the realization of all our demands.”
