Skopje, 5 March 2025 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski told journalists Wednesday the Government would accept the request by the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) to raise the minimum wage to Mden 30.000 (EUR 500) if the unions and employers agree on it, but also if the employers cover all contributions.

The Prime Minister further added that a “representative union” would have to be chosen before any discussions of raising the minimum wage can take place.

“I regret that the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia is slowly but surely growing into a partisan podium or advocate of the Levica, SDSM and DUI coalition, and practically whatever these three say in Parliament, they [SSM] echo at press conferences. They chose to operate in this way. I regret that this proposal was missing in the past. They think that now they will empty the budget and that we will give Mden 100-200 million for them, so that there are no funds for streets, kindergartens, schools...,” Mickoski said in answer to a journalist’s question.

In response to SSM’s proposal for the minimum wage which also called on the state to aid the increase by covering the social contributions paid out by employers for a period of 12 months, Mickoski said there are no funds in the state budget to do so.

“The budget does not foresee additional contributions that the Government would cover,” Mickoski said.

At a press conference Monday, the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia called 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). 

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. 

Photo: MIA Archive