European Trade Union Committee for Education

On 17 January 2018, SONK, ETUCE member organisation in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, took part in a protest action in front of the buildings of the government following the call launched by its confederation - KSS - Confederation of Free Trade Unions of FYROM.

As reported by the education trade union, approximately 4,000 affiliates from the eleven branch trade union organisations of KSS demonstrated their dissatisfaction that day.

The main demands announced during the protest action concerned to immediately:

- cease putting pressure on public services workers, on trade union representatives as well as to stop constraining the trade union movement in the country;

- increase salaries in the public sector in line with the increase of the minimum wage from October 2017;

- launch negotiations for pay rise in all sectors;

- start negotiations on the General Collective Agreement for the public sector in order to, among other things, improve social security benefits and working conditions of public services workers.

In the meeting with government officials, trade union representatives had the the opportunity to address these areas. They were assured that for most of the open issues, the government is prepared to deal with them and to clarify the situation.

ETUCE continues to monitor the situation.