The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) has decided that government officials should be put on the minimum wage until the next legal adjustment, following the government’s decision to increase the minimum wage to 400 euros instead of the 500 euros requested by workers. This decision was made at a public session held across three locations in protest of the government’s actions.

SSM’s president, Slobodan Trendafilov, addressed the government, demanding the withdrawal of the minimum wage increase decision and urging officials to reduce their salaries to the minimum wage for one year to understand the difficulties faced by workers. He also cautioned against attacks on trade unions, emphasizing that decisions should not be made without the involvement of the workers themselves. Trendafilov warned of a potential general strike if these demands are not met and threatened protests if workers’ wages are not increased. He specifically called out Hristijan and Slobodan, suggesting they should live on the minimum wage, and proposed either a 500-euro minimum wage for workers and a 100-euro increase for all other wages or a scenario where workers earn 2,500 euros and officials earn 500 euros, highlighting that the power to choose ultimately lies with the workers.

SSM Vice-President Trpe Deanoski criticized the current government for being the first in Macedonian history to make a decision on the minimum wage without the participation of a trade union, intentionally undermining SSM’s representativeness and leaving 129,000 public sector employees vulnerable to private sector employers.

Addressing employers in front of the Chamber of Commerce, Trendafilov urged them to increase salaries to prevent workers from emigrating and to avoid being blamed for a future worker exodus. In front of the Parliament, SSM unanimously decided to reduce parliamentary salaries to the minimum wage until the minimum wage is increased to 500 euros, arguing that the increased salaries of parliamentarians are undeserved. Trendafilov also questioned the presence of MP Brane Petrushevski, a known critic of trade union efforts.

SSM concluded the public session by urging authorities to acknowledge the widespread dissatisfaction with their actions, emphasizing that their “luxury” is derived from the labor of the workers.