For the fourth consecutive day, the Union of Employees of Administration, Justice Bodies and Citizens' Associations (AOGJSH) in North Macedonia continues with protests, demanding the signing of collective agreements and a 30 percent salary increase for employees of several ministries and state institutions.
The head of the Trade Union, Trpe Deanoski, at Friday's protest in front of the Ministry of Finance, announced that they have submitted an official request for a meeting with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski.
He stressed that if a final agreement is not reached with the Government, they will begin "more radical protests, strikes," and that they will use "every legal opportunity" until their demands are met.
"The employees expect the Government to show understanding and accept this helping hand from the Union to find solutions to our demands," said Deanoski.
But the government doubts that the protests are politically motivated. It admits that salaries are not high, but the justification is that the budget is limited.
Currently, the average salary of employees in the Ministries of Culture, Justice, Environment, Economy and Labor, Transport and Digital Transformation, as well as the State Statistical Office, is around 471 euros.
The average state-level salary in North Macedonia is 684 euros. Protesters are demanding a 100 euro increase.
"If the Union (AOGJSH) really cares about the salaries of employees, we invite them to talks with the aim of finding real solutions. Otherwise, the suspicion remains that AOGJSH works for the interests of certain parties, which aim to gain political points at the expense of citizens," the Government said in a reaction on January 15.
However, Deanoski said that "we have not formally received an invitation to continue the dialogue," underlining that meetings cannot take place through media announcements, but through official requests for meetings.
He also called on the opposition not to get involved in these protests, emphasizing that these parties had seven years in power to solve the salary problem.
The protesters accused the Ministry of Finance of not taking the necessary measures and of not approving their proposals.
"We do not accept discrimination and will continue to fight for a fair wage increase for all. We demand a true and fair distribution of resources that will enable all workers to live in the most dignified way possible," said Zoran Gjorgjievski, a union member from the Ministry of Justice.
This is the fourth day that over 2,400 administrators from various public institutions in the country are demanding a salary increase.
Days ago, the Union reported that in some ministries they have also started threatening employees not to participate in the protest. REL (A2 Televizion)
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