Employees of several ministries and state institutions in North Macedonia, including those of Culture, Justice, Environment, Economy and Labor, Transport and Digital Transformation, as well as the State Statistical Office, protested on January 14 due to the non-approval of the increase in salary increases, a demand that has been repeated over the years.
They demanded the signing of collective contracts and the approval of salary increases of 30 percent.
The protesters accused the Ministry of Finance of failing to take the necessary measures and emphasized that, since the formation of the new Government, they have held meetings with most of the relevant ministers and have presented the necessary proposals to reach a collective agreement.
"Then, with the support of ministers, they were submitted to the Ministry of Finance. Although these proposals for collective agreements were submitted to the Ministry of Finance, before the approval of the state budget for 2025, for reasons incomprehensible to us, the Ministry of Finance has not approved the funds for their signing," declared Trpe Deanoski, president of the Administration Workers' Union.
Currently, the average salary in these institutions where employees are protesting, as Deanoski pointed out, is around 29,000 denars (471 euros), while the average salary at the state level in North Macedonia is 42,124 denars (684 euros).
"The 30 percent increase we are demanding means that workers will have a salary increase of 6,000 denars [100 euros], but despite this, all employees will still be below the average state salary. This demand of ours is more than four years old," he added.
Minister for Digital Transformation, Stefan Andonovski, stated in a television appearance on January 13 that the problem with salary increases lies in the individual collective agreements of some institutions, which have increased salaries for some employees, while the rest of the administration has remained with unchanged salaries. He emphasized that the ideal solution would be a unified salary system that guarantees equality for employees with the same competencies.
On the other hand, the Macedonian opposition supported the protesters. They emphasized that the government has a duty to ensure conditions for signing collective agreements and increasing salaries.
"We understand the anger of public sector employees and support their demands for salary increases, which are fully justified," the Social Democratic League (LSDM) stated.
The protests, as emphasized by ministry officials, will continue throughout this week, every day, from 11:00 to 11:30, while on Friday, they will move in front of the Ministry of Finance, where they will express their dissatisfaction with the non-signing of collective contracts.
The Union of Administration, Justice and Citizens' Associations Workers (AOGJSH) has called on the Government of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski to sit down and agree on an agreement, in order to avoid additional layoffs of workers from the public sector.
Meanwhile, the Government announced a few days ago that they have not accepted such a request from the unions, but also added that a 30 percent increase at this moment "is beyond the capabilities of the state budget."
The state budget for 2025 plans total revenues of 358.8 billion denars (5.83 billion euros), an increase of 13 percent compared to 2024, while total expenditures are projected at 400 billion denars (6.50 billion euros), marking a 10 percent increase compared to last year's budget./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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