TRENDAFILOV: Bosses will cause a 24-hour general strike

The President of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM), Slobodan Trendafilov, has reacted sharply to the statements and positions of some of the bosses in the country, who are once again complaining about the shortage of labor and the alleged inability to increase wages, warning that if this policy continues – the workers will respond with a 24-hour general strike throughout the country.

“You would think that we should feel sorry for the bosses,” Trendafilov says, commenting that some of the employers have been exploiting the workforce for 30 years, and now they shamelessly complain that there is no one to work for them.

“The same bosses who fired the workers are now whining that there is no one to work for them. They wanted to import workers, and now they are running away from them too – so who will stay for a miserable salary?” asks the SSM president.

According to him, the bosses are consciously manipulating the public, claiming that the workers are not productive, although official data shows the opposite.

According to the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia, in 2024, net profits per employee in Macedonian companies increased significantly compared to 2023, which proves that productivity is at a high level:

Construction – 600,000 denars (10,000 euros) net profit per employee;

Trade, transport, warehousing, catering – 300,000 denars;

Industry – 200,000 denars;

Information and communications – 400,000 denars;

Administrative and professional activities – 300,000 denars;

Corporate sector average – 300,000 denars per employee.

“These figures clearly show that each worker not only earns his salary, but also provides money for the luxurious life of the bosses – for their jeeps, offices and profits,” Trendafilov points out.

In addition, data from the Central Registry refute the thesis that companies are closing due to an increase in the minimum wage. On the contrary, the figures show that with each increase, more new companies are opening, and fewer are closing:

2022 – 7062 new companies, 5694 closed;

2023 – 7062 new, 3372 closed;

2024 – 6627 new, 2891 closed.

“This unequivocally shows that the increase in the minimum wage is not an obstacle, but a driver of the economy. There are no more excuses that there is no room for higher wages,” Trendafilov says.

He warns that from January 2026, the country will face an even greater labor shortage, as young people will leave for the neighbourhood – “with an ID card across the border” – where the minimum wage is higher: 550 euros in Serbia and more than 500 euros in Albania.

“The bosses should ask themselves what will worry them more – our demand for a wage increase or the 24-hour general strike that they themselves will provoke,” Trendafilov said.