Skopje, 24 July 2024 (MIA) — The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia has strongly opposed Economic Chamber demands for a revision of the law establishing Sunday a non-working day and higher wages for anyone working on Sundays.

Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia president Slobodan Trendafilov, in a statement for MIA, recalled that unionized workers, through walkout protests and social dialogue with the Organization of Employers of Macedonia and the government, established the right for Sunday to be a non-working day for more than 80 percent of workers, and the right to higher wages for people in workplaces where the work process cannot be interrupted.

Trendafilov said workers were under increasing pressure from the rising costs of living and now "the demands from the Economic Chamber bosses to take away their labor rights, especially the right to non-working days."

"Sunday being a non-working day has given workers some of their dignity back," he said, adding that Economic Chamber members, by infringing on workers' rights and paying workers low wages, have "caused an exodus of qualified workers from Macedonia." 

"We would also like to remind them that Saturday, too, is a non-working day for workers in Macedonia, because in Macedonia, as a rule, the working week lasts five working days," Trendafilov told MIA.

Also, the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia has reminded the Economic Chamber that the labor unions' partner in the social dialogue with the business community was the Employers' Organization of Macedonia, so it was not the Economic Chamber's place to try to take away workers' hard-won rights.

"We strongly oppose such ridiculous demands. If they continue acting like this, soon there will be no workers any more and the bosses will have to roll up their sleeves and get to work themselves," the unionists said.

Economic Chamber president Branko Azeski said Tuesday he would like to have a meeting with representatives of labor unions to put forward their arguments for Sunday being a non-working day.

"I think it is time we sat down and talked to them. We have our own arguments for this. We are not hiding our arguments. We have voiced them clearly. This was also at the Constitutional Court," Azeski said.

"What we are saying is that any law of a systemic nature, six months or a year after it has been introduced, needs to be analyzed so we can see if it needs to be edited or completely revised.

"No analysis has been performed of these laws that, instead of regulating labor relations, hurt businesspeople's pockets," Azeski said.

Previously, the Economic Chamber filed a motion with the Constitutional Court against the law declaring Sunday a non-business day.

The Constitutional Court justices ruled in favor of Sunday remaining a day off for workers. mr/