Skopje, 11 February 2026 (MIA) — The SUTKOZ Hospitality, Tourism, Housing and Utility, Crafts and Protective Associations Workers Union supports the new draft Law on Protection Against Smoking, union leader Stojanche Kashikovski said Wednesday, while also cautioning that the smoking ban may affect employment in the industry.

"In addition to their low salaries, some of our workers are moving abroad. We believe this will also be some sort of small blow that will lead to reducing the number of workers in these two sectors, hospitality and tourism," Kashikovski said.

He said he preferred the previous law, which allowed restaurants to have smoking areas, but it had not been enforced so he noted that "more stringent controls" were necessary.

"As a union, we absolutely support the stricter law. Why? Because we, as a union, among other things, also advocate for workers' safety and health at work," he said.

"In addition to promoting workers' rights, as a union, we advocate for the respect of all safety and health measures at work not only for workers but also for restaurant patrons," he added. mr/