Skopje, 10 February 2026 (MIA) - The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) staged a blockade of the building of Parliament on Tuesday, starting its campaign of blockades to be carried out in the coming days over demands for increase of the minimum wage to EUR 600 and a EUR 100 increase of all other wages. Protesters blocked the entrances to the Macedonian Parliament until the start of the parliamentary session, noting that this was because the MPs have not passed amendments to the law on minimum wage for more than steer clear from SSM's latest initiative to slash public officials' salaries by 80 percent.

"Today should be a letdown for everyone, especially for the 120 elected MPs. I believe that today, at the session they will hold, they should put forward an increase of the minimum wage to EUR 600 and at least Mden 6,000 increase of all other wages," said SSM leader Slobodan Trendafilov.  

If MPs fail to do so, SSM said it will collect 10,000 signatures, thus become a petition circulator and demand a reduction in officials' wages.

"They condemned us saying that SSM's initiative to slash their salaries by 80 percent was unconstitutional. We ask clearly and loudly how come it will be constitutional if they reduce coefficients by 9.2 percent, but unconstitutional to reduce their coefficients by 80 percent, to change their base to a minimum wage instead of the current average wage," Trendafilov said. 

The unions, he pointed out, will continue with blockades that do not require many people according to the law. On Thursday, SSM will block the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, to be followed by the Government next Tuesday.

"On January 28, at the large workers' protest, we said that it was just the beginning. We said we would carry out targeted blockades that require very few people. According to the Law on Public Assemblies, blocking a certain institutution requires 21 people on the street. We will do this in the coming days. On Thursday, we will block the Economic Chamber, and next Tuesday, when the Government is to hold a session, we will block the Government as well," said Trendafilov. 

SSM does not rule out the possibility of organizing a general strike. The unions' demands for an increase of the minimum and all other wages are based on the increase in the cost of living and the growth of the consumer basket.

Photo: MIA