The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia is the only representative union in the country, a national social partner and negotiator, participant in the creation of national strategies and policies. At the same time, SSM is the oldest and most numerous trade union in the country.
All this emphasizes and deepens our responsibility to defend, respect and promote the democratic values, human and workers' rights.
In addition to the challenges posed by globalization, the problems in the economy and the labor market under the influence of climate change, digitalization and automation, the European and global trade union movement, of which we are a part, this year also faced the health crisis caused by the corona virus. The health crisis is the reason why we are witnessing a series of negative consequences of unprecedented scale on people's lives and health, economic downturn, stagnation or drastic reduction of certain social and economic activities. All of this required a swift and decisive response from states and governments to ensure the survival of mankind.
In conditions of health crisis, the social dialogue enabled the involvement of CCM in the creation of measures and activities for maintaining the economic and social functioning of the state. The main goal of CCM was to preserve jobs and not to leave any worker without existence for himself and his family. It is the task of all social actors in these complex conditions to involve all entities in the country to ensure its functioning and at the same time the negative consequences of the health crisis must not be felt only by the workers and their families. We all together have to bear the burden and challenges of the crisis, because the struggle to create a better society for all, and this should be the result of joint actions of all relevant institutions.
Today's meeting also shows that the partnership with the Government is the basis for our action through the social dialogue, a relationship that should be practiced and promoted by all social partners. CCM stands for and insists on the accountability and responsibility of all social partners for the realization and implementation of the agreed obligations.
The health crisis is still ongoing and obviously it will be part of our lives for a long time. That is why the challenges ahead are great and only with integrated action of all stakeholders we can ensure survival and functioning of the state.
For CCM, the protection of workers' and human rights is a priority, many activities undertaken before the beginning of the health crisis, aimed at promoting workers' rights, were stopped due to the priorities imposed by the health crisis, but we believe it is time to continue, because they are an inseparable part of the overall commitment to democratize the state and respect the rights of all without discrimination.
In this sense, we stand for:
1. Continuation of the Government's support to the economy with the priority of retaining jobs and paying the salaries of the employees
2. More efficient care and protection for the citizens from the consequences of the infectious disease with special emphasis on the vulnerable categories of the population
3. Implementing an efficient educational process with full protection of the health of children and youth who are our future
4. Improving the public health system in accordance with world trends and achievements
5. Adoption of a new Labor Law, as well as signing of General Collective Agreements for the public and private sector
The new Labor Law should contain the European tendencies in the labor relations.
In that direction we stand for:
• fixed-term employment contracts only in exceptional objective conditions and lasting up to 1 year
• 38 hours working week,
• maternity leave of 12 months,
• the right to salary adjustment to be governed by Law and Collective Agreements
• full realization of the right to annual leave
• Saturday and Sunday to be days of weekly rest
• improving healthy and safe working conditions in companies.
• Respecting the conventions on freedom of trade union organizing and functioning
• The employer should be obliged to start negotiations within 30 days from the submitted draft proposal of the Collective Agreement at the level of the employer by the trade union.
• Improving collective bargaining (signing the GCA for the private and public sector) and social dialogue at all levels because our rights cannot be decided without us.
6. Introduction of several retirement conditions in the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance
We propose, in addition to the existing retirement conditions additional conditions to be introduced:
1. Age pension – years of service
• 35 years of service - woman - regardless of age
• 40 years of service - a man - regardless of age
2. Age pension - by age or length of service - by activities/ sectors
The workers in the country are employed in different sectors and perform different working tasks. Therefore, it is necessary the law to provide several retirement conditions for different categories of workers (construction, textile, miners, administration etc). If different retirement conditions are determined, workers shall have the right to choose, it will depend only on the will of the employee under what conditions she/he will want to retire. and shall not be applied mandatory.
3. Early Age pension
It is proposed to introduce the right to early retirement workers who would be eligible after the age of 60, with a minimum of 15 years of service.
Beneficiaries of early retirement pensions may be workers who work but cannot continue to work for certain reasons (health, work, and cannot be declared disabled due to bankruptcy or liquidation) or are unemployed and meet the requirement - minimum 15 years of work experience. This type of pension would be realized only at the will and request of the employee.
This retirement requirement in almost all European Union countries is known as a general retirement condition and it is met at the age of 60.
4. Incomplete Age pension
• to enable workers to pay the pension and disability insurance contribution themselves if they have not met the requirement of at least 15 years of service,
• the right to self-payment of the contribution, to be applied to workers who lack up to 3 years of work experience from the minimum 15, and meet the age requirement (62, i.e. 64 years).
5. Introduction of beneficial years of service for construction workers as well as other activities where work tasks take place in particularly difficult working conditions that are detrimental to the life and health of workers.
7. Increase of the Minimum Wage
The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia, points out that, there is a real need to increase the minimum wage, which according to European recommendations and trends should be at least 60% of the average wage in the country.
The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia continuously advocates and demands increase of the minimum wage in order to improve the standard of workers with the lowest wages and their families. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the growth of the minimum wage and this increase of the minimum wage to be the basis for a gradual increase in all workers' wages, which can very easily happen through the collective agreements.
8. Protection of workers who are in isolation or self-isolation due to COVID -19
Due to the difficult existential situation in the past months since the beginning of the health crisis caused by the Corona virus, a large number of workers found themselves infected by performing their work tasks, i.e. they were isolated due to exposure to the virus at their workplaces. The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia deems that COVID 19 should be considered as an occupational disease not only for the health professionals, but also for all workers from other industries employed in institutions, where contact or exposure to COVID-19 is possible.
In addition to the health professionals, a large number of workers from other industries and institutions participate in the activities for control of the contagious disease and due to the principle of equality and equal access to the right for all, COVID 19 should be treated as an occupational disease with the right to 100% salary compensation.
CCM proposes the salary compensation for absence from work due to infection with COVID 19, isolation and self-isolation due to exposure to COVID 19 to be 100% of the salary base determined by law.
During their work, all workers are exposed to direct contact with a large number of people, and since COVID-19 is a still unexplored infectious disease, workers are no longer to blame for their illness, they must be in isolation due to exposure to the infectious disease. Any reduction in workers' wages during this period is life-threatening for the worker and his family, as well as dangerous for preventing the further spread of the disease.
These are our initial initiatives, we are open for cooperation with the Government, the representatives of employers, trade unions, NGOs, scientific and professional public in order to improve the position of all workers and citizens. We will closely monitor the developments and according to the needs we will propose solutions for complete protection of the life and health of the population in the country.
We expect regular meetings with the representatives of the Government, where initiatives and proposals for the promotion of workers' and human rights will be reviewed and discussed.
CCM and its affiliated trade unions commit themselves to solve all issues and regulate the economic and social relations, but we also point out that we will demand accountability and responsibility for all those who will not fulfill the agreed obligations on which the development of the state depends.
