Skopje, 27 July 2023 (MIA) – For the first time after 15 years, the unions, Government representatives and all other affected parties, together reached an agreement that secures a long-term sustainable solution. This solution will never again have to rely on the goodwill of the politicians, of the parties, not now, not in the future, since the General Collective Agreement contains a methodology for constant growth and adjustment of public sector wages, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski in answer to an MP’s question at Thursday’s Q&A session in Parliament.

The PM said the growth of public sector wages is guaranteed with the new General Collective Agreement.

“There will be no more political calculations with the citizens, no more promises ahead of elections for one-time wage increases, the same happened with the minimum wage as well, because a systemic solution has been adopted there as well. And the same also happened with the pensions, because of a systemic solution for a constant growth of wages twice a year,” said the PM.

Kovachevski added that the goal is a better standard for the citizens, and better paid jobs.

“The wages of the citizens will continue to grow in the future as well, because all Government policies are aimed at improving the living standards. All of this is a reflection and a result of the appropriate policies, which are making a difference when it comes to the income of workers,” assessed Kovachevski. 

The PM noted that the Government has taken concrete measures to stabilize the inflationary movements, and added that the inflation in July is under 10 percent and has returned to single digit figures, while unemployment has dropped by eight percent.

Kovachevski voiced his expectation that the inflation will continue to drop in the coming months.