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About 100 thousand employees in the state administration bodies in Northern Macedonia went on a general strike this Wednesday for higher salaries.
Employees in all ministries, directorates, funds, judicial administration, cadastre, hospitals, local government and other state bodies demand a salary increase of 2,806 denars or about 45 euros, as promised, according to the union, by the government some months ago, that from July 1 there will be a linear increase in salaries.
Employees of these state bodies say that the economic crisis has worsened their economic and social situation, which has forced them to go on general strike.
“We consider that an overall salary increase would be very important for all employees as we are facing a deep crisis, with many difficulties to ensure a normal life at a time when we have daily price increases.”stated Lubisa Karanfilovski, employed at the University Clinical Center in Skopje.
The strike will be daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., during which time employees will be at their workplaces but will not provide services.
The leaders of the Trade Union League had placed 120 seats in front of the Assembly, as many as the Assembly counts as deputies, asking them to approve an amendment to increase salaries as the government says that “they feel cheated”.
“We feel cheated and manipulated. After all the severe economic crisis, double-digit inflation, rising prices, the energy crisis, the failure of the government to keep its promise to increase wages, we have no choice but to go on general strike. We invite all the deputies to give us support, not the union leadership, but the workers who are barely able to survive with the salaries they receive “stated Darko Dimovski, president of the League of Trade Unions.
Employees in state institutions receive monthly salaries ranging from 350 to 400 euros. The minimum wage in Northern Macedonia is 300 euros, while the average wage is around 500 euros.
The government has said the strike is a constitutionally guaranteed right, but that at the moment there is still no agreement with the union to find a long-term solution to the ongoing wage increase.
The Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Fatmir Bytyqi says that he is for the increase of salaries in all sectors, but first, according to him, there should be a methodology and a proper study on their increase.
“We are willing to find a solution, but it must be a systematic solution sustainable for all parties, and not an ‘ad hoc’ solution that can solve the problem only ostensibly, and be repeated next year. I consider that we should have a methodology for increasing salaries. “We believe that during the debate phase, the strike should not take place, but it is the democratic right of each party to decide whether to accept the talks or whether to go on strike.”stated Bytyqi.
But despite this the union says its members have been threatened that we will receive lower wages as long as they are on strike.
“Wherever there will be pressure on strikers, we will record them and publicly come out with data on who is threatening“, Stated the president of the union, Darko Dimovski.
The state administration workers’ strike follows a strike by education and kindergarten workers in May, also over pay rises. The unions have warned of other measures, including street protests if the institutions reject their demands.
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