Skopje, 3 March 2025 (MIA) - The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) demanded Monday for the national minimum wage to be increased by Mden 6.000 (EUR 97) in addition to the mandatory March alignment expected to up the minimum wage by Mden 1.800 (EUR 30). SSM said it would submit a proposal for the increase to the Government, members of Parliament and the Organizations of Employers.

As part of its proposal for the increase of the minimum wage, SSM’s called for private sector employers to be exempted from paying social contribution for a year, or for the contributions to be subsidized by the state. Additionally, SSM demanded that the additional increase of Mden 6.000 of the net wage also be made mandatory for private sector employers who are paying wages over the minimum wage.

At a press conference on Monday, the President of SSM, Slobodan Trendafilov, stressed it is high time for social partners to come to an agreement and boost the living standard of the workers while also retaining qualified staff in the country. “Every vote against the wage increase is a vote for a one-way ticket out of the country,” he said.

The SSM head said the minimum wage has to be agreed by March 15 at the latest and paid out by April 15.

“I urge the Government and the employers to accept SSM’s proposal, while the MPs, just as they could agree on [keeping] their commuting allowances, should vote for an additional increase of the minimum wage by Mden 6.000 which will also mean an additional increase to the wages of all other workers in Macedonia,” Trendafilov stressed

Trendafilov said SSM will decide how to proceed based on the Government’s and employers’ response to the proposal.

“The decision whether you are ‘for’ or ‘against’ the workers will determine the direction of SSM’s policy. If someone decides to be rude, we will be twice as rude, if someone decides to unilaterally dismiss the initiative or the proposal for the protection of the workers’ living standards, we can also unilaterally decide to strike,” Trendafilov said, adding that minimum wages in the region range from EUR 457 to EUR 800.

In line with the law, the minimum wage should be aligned this March and is expected to increase by about Mden 1.800 (EUR 30), which would put it at around Mden 24.400 (EUR 396).  

Photo/Video: MIA