The minimum consumer basket in February was 33,702 denars, which means that a family of four needed that much to meet their basic monthly needs.
Compared to the average salary paid in December as the last official data released by the State Statistical Office, the minimum consumer basket is almost MKD 5,500 higher.
Most of it or 14,078 denars were needed for food and beverages, 10,825 denars for household needs and 2,478 denars for transportation, according to data from the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia, which calculates the value of the minimum union basket every month. A minimum of MKD 2,131 was needed for shoes and clothes, and only MKD 1,067 for cultural activities.
SSM recently pointed out that the average salary covers about 70 percent of the union basket. Therefore, with the growth of the average salary, they want the minimum salary to increase. The commitment of SSM is for the minimum salary to rise to 60 percent of the average salary, which, according to the union, is a practice in European countries.