Skopje, 22 November 2021 (MIA) – After Monday’s meeting with representatives of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia and the Independent Trade Union for Health, Pharmacy and Social Protection over the COVID-19 draft-measures for public sector employees and health workers recommended by the Commission for Infectious Diseases, Health Minister Venko Filipche said the Government will discuss their proposals at a session on Tuesday. “What representatives of the trade unions requested, i.e. what we’ll discuss at tomorrow's session of the Government, is first that measures enter into force 15 days after the Government adopts them instead of 10 days, so that trade unions membership gets few extra days to be properly informed; second, that employees get paid time off on the day of vaccination and the next day; and, a PCR test, as an alternative to vaccination, to be made at the expense of the employers instead of the employees,” said Filipche. He added that a legal basis has been found under which vaccination could be made mandatory for health workers. “There are such provisions in the rulebook on immunoprophylaxis. Having in mind the specificity of the situation, we have shown the article of that rulebook, as well as the basis on which this obligation for all health workers will be defined, so that all health workers are vaccinated in the next 30 days,” Filipche said. He thanked the trade unions for their support to implement the measures, being aware of the risk the country is facing in the coming months. President of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia Darko Dimevski said the trade union stands by its demands and believes that public health is above all. President of the Independent Trade Union for Health, Pharmacy and Social Protection Ljubisha Karanfilovski said the trade union puts the safety and the health of the population as a top priority, and as a result there’s no alternative to vaccination.