SSM and business present demands to Economic Council, expect measures this or next week
Skopje, 5 October 2022 (MIA) -The business and the Government agreed on Wednesday that the measures to improve the handling of the energy crisis should be adopted by the end of this week or by next Wednesday at the latest. No concrete decisions came from the session of the Economic Council. Companies reiterated their demands, and the Federation of Trade Unions (SSM) also announced its demands.
Representatives of the economic chambers said after the Economic Council’s session they expect the TE-TO power plant to be put into operation and produce electricity cheaper than stock market electricity.
“We have already stated our measures, to limit the margins of electricity producers. We agreed that in the future a calculation should be made regarding the possible supply of electricity from abroad and the production in our country. The average should be found and shared. If our production is EUR 100 per megawatt hour, and the imported electricity is EUR 300, the average should be divided and the companies should pay electricity on the free market at a lower price than the stock exchange price,” said President of the Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia, Nebi Hoxha.
According to President of the Chamber of Commerce of Macedonia (SSK), Trajan Angeloski, maybe there won't be enough energy for all 1,700 companies.
“Certain possibilities were discussed with the inclusion of TE-TO and renewables, to get to a price of EUR 300 that the state would somehow offer to the real sector and it would be fixed. Maybe there won't be enough energy for all 1,700 companies, we'll see who can withstand it, it's individual,” Angeloski said.
President of the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, Branko Azeski, who was one of the participants in Wednesday’s session of the Economic Council discussing the energy crisis and anti-crisis measures to cushion the price blow, demanded that the real situation be presented and the methodology of support be changed.
“We need to know the real situation and we need to have the methodology of support changed. It costs us, business is a variable category and depends on the stock market and many elements,” said Azeski.
According to him, further escalation of the energy crisis will have a negative effect on about 20 percent of the companies.
SSM demands that the measure including a payment card for buying local products be re-introduced, and salaries be in line with inflation growth, as well as the consumer’s basket.
“SSM demands consistency with the provisions of the collective agreements for aligning of wages according to the increase in inflation, as well as defining such a provision in the general collective agreement for the public sector and the general collective agreement for the private sector, which will apply to all workers and employers. It also demands expansion of previous anti-crisis measures by freezing the margin for previously defined products, as well as expansion of the list of food products. In addition, it demands re-introduction of the measure including a payment card for buying local products and paying electricity bills for a certain category of workers and citizens who are the most threatened and affected by the economic crisis,” said SSM President Darko Dimovski.
Academician Taki Fiti said the country is in a difficult situation, because there’s no sufficient domestic energy production, but it is dependent on imports.
“Nothing has been invested here for years, and now we have to solve the problem as it is, and the situation is becoming more difficult with limited fiscal space and a threat on a global scale,” Fiti said.
According to him, the worst economic crisis is an economic crisis that is a simultaneous drop in production and a classic recession, but also relatively high inflation rates and high unemployment rates.
“This year we will not enter such type of recession. We will see how things will be next year, because everything depends on what will happen with the price of energy, and there is no way that the war in Ukraine will end soon,” Fiti added.
According to former finance minister Nikola Popovski, the world today is faced with a choice to either preserve macroeconomic stability, which means low prices and currency relations and low inflation, or to sacrifice part of the growth.
“My opinion is that price stability should be taken into account at the moment, because even if growth is lost by one or two to three quarters, it doesn’t mean anything, it will be back. But if price stability is disturbed in the long-term, all quarters in the future years will face economic problems,” said Popovski.
According to him, that’s a priority, but the final decision will have to be made by the Government.
MANU and University representatives also attended the session of the Economic Council.
According to President of the Chamber of Commerce of Macedonia (SSK), Trajan Angeloski, maybe there won't be enough energy for all 1,700 companies.
“Certain possibilities were discussed with the inclusion of TE-TO and renewables, to get to a price of EUR 300 that the state would somehow offer to the real sector and it would be fixed. Maybe there won't be enough energy for all 1,700 companies, we'll see who can withstand it, it's individual,” Angeloski said.
President of the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, Branko Azeski, who was one of the participants in Wednesday’s session of the Economic Council discussing the energy crisis and anti-crisis measures to cushion the price blow, demanded that the real situation be presented and the methodology of support be changed.
“We need to know the real situation and we need to have the methodology of support changed. It costs us, business is a variable category and depends on the stock market and many elements,” said Azeski.
According to him, further escalation of the energy crisis will have a negative effect on about 20 percent of the companies.
SSM demands that the measure including a payment card for buying local products be re-introduced, and salaries be in line with inflation growth, as well as the consumer’s basket.
“SSM demands consistency with the provisions of the collective agreements for aligning of wages according to the increase in inflation, as well as defining such a provision in the general collective agreement for the public sector and the general collective agreement for the private sector, which will apply to all workers and employers. It also demands expansion of previous anti-crisis measures by freezing the margin for previously defined products, as well as expansion of the list of food products. In addition, it demands re-introduction of the measure including a payment card for buying local products and paying electricity bills for a certain category of workers and citizens who are the most threatened and affected by the economic crisis,” said SSM President Darko Dimovski.
Academician Taki Fiti said the country is in a difficult situation, because there’s no sufficient domestic energy production, but it is dependent on imports.
“Nothing has been invested here for years, and now we have to solve the problem as it is, and the situation is becoming more difficult with limited fiscal space and a threat on a global scale,” Fiti said.
According to him, the worst economic crisis is an economic crisis that is a simultaneous drop in production and a classic recession, but also relatively high inflation rates and high unemployment rates.
“This year we will not enter such type of recession. We will see how things will be next year, because everything depends on what will happen with the price of energy, and there is no way that the war in Ukraine will end soon,” Fiti added.
According to former finance minister Nikola Popovski, the world today is faced with a choice to either preserve macroeconomic stability, which means low prices and currency relations and low inflation, or to sacrifice part of the growth.
“My opinion is that price stability should be taken into account at the moment, because even if growth is lost by one or two to three quarters, it doesn’t mean anything, it will be back. But if price stability is disturbed in the long-term, all quarters in the future years will face economic problems,” said Popovski.
According to him, that’s a priority, but the final decision will have to be made by the Government.
MANU and University representatives also attended the session of the Economic Council.
