Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has stated the government is prepared to amend the minimum wage law if employers and workers reach a consensus on a new figure. This declaration came during a parliamentary session where Mickoski addressed questions regarding the current minimum wage.
Mickoski emphasized that the current minimum wage was established according to the law, based on calculations from the relevant ministries, and that the government respects this law. However, he acknowledged that the current value might not be satisfactory for everyone.
He expressed his personal belief that the minimum wage should be higher, possibly around 1000 euros, but stressed that the sustainability of such an increase for businesses needs to be considered by employers.
Mickoski also addressed the issue of worker representation in the Economic and Social Council, which previously played a role in determining the minimum wage outside of the legal framework. He noted that the representativeness of the union had expired, leaving the workers’ side unrepresented.
To address this, the Ministries of Justice, Economy, and Labor and Social Policy, Demography and Youth have nominated representatives to a commission tasked with determining the representativeness of trade unions.
Furthermore, Mickoski revealed that there is agreement among trade unions to lower the threshold for calculating representativeness from 10 percent to 5 percent. The government supports this proposal and is preparing legal amendments to implement it, which would allow for greater inclusion of trade unions in the Economic and Social Council.
Mickoski affirmed his readiness to convene a session of the Economic and Social Council as soon as it is formed. He stated that if employers and workers can agree on a minimum wage figure, even one that deviates from the current legal standard, the government is willing to intervene in the law to accommodate their agreement. He emphasized the government’s commitment to accepting any agreed-upon figure, be it 25,000, 27,000, or 30,000 denars.