The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) will also organize a protest on May 1 -International Labor Day, which will start at 11 a.m. in front of the SSM building, will continue in front of the Parliament, then at the Macedonian Economic Chamber and Industry and end in front of the Government building, said SSM head Slobodan Trendafilov, who called on workers to come out en masse to the protest, at which they will highlight their demands for an increase in the minimum wage and better working conditions.
“More than 260,000 workers in Macedonia, according to data from the Public Revenue Office, live with incomes below 600 euros, or as much as the workers demand the minimum wage in Macedonia to be. That is 50% of the workforce in Macedonia that gets a wage below EUR 600. These workers shouldn’t meet us on the street and complain, should not send us messages and complain, yet they should stand with us side by side and show that they are dissatisfied with their wage,” said Trendafilov.
With the adjustment of the minimum wage by MKD 1,667 in March this year, the SSM head pointed out, and the increase in the value of the union minimum basket by MKD 3,304 since the beginning of the year shows that a family if both workers are on the minimum wage lacks funds for basic food and living expenses.
Trendafilov adds that May 1 is the day when workers and unions everywhere in the world go out to protest, the day when workers should be the loudest and take to the streets side by side and show that, as he says, the injustice they have tolerated all year can be clearly and loudly expressed and opposed together with the unions.
