Significant amendments to the Labour Law (“Labour Law Amendment”) and the Law on Minimum Wage (“Minimum Wage Law Amendment”) in favour of the workers are envisaged to be enacted at the beginning of 2022. The Government announced that by amendment of the Law on Minimal Wage it will increase the minimum wage to EUR 300 at the beginning of 2022, while Sunday will be declared as a non-working day for most of the working population in accordance with the proposed amendments of the Labour Law. Both amendments to the respective laws are currently in the adoption phase in the assembly procedure and are expected to be enacted around or after New Year.
The Federation of Trade Unions insists upon adoption of these amendments as soon as possible, stating that the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing economic crisis had a detrimental impact on the already bad conditions of the workers.
On the other hand, the Business Confederation of North Macedonia agrees to the increase of the minimum wage in some sectors. However, they note that small businesses will not be able to deal with an imposed increasement of the minimum wage, stating that with these amendments the minimum wage would amount up to 60% of the average salary for 2021.
The Minister of Labour and Social Policy has announced that the goal of introducing Sunday as a non-working day is to lean towards introducing a better balance between the private and professional life of workers.
In accordance with the proposed amendments of the Labour Law, Sunday should be declared as a mandatory non-working day for 92% of the working population. However, an exception is prescribed for activities where the work process cannot be interrupted, such as pharmacies, food production, production of metals and telecommunications among others.
The information in this document does not constitute legal advice on any particular matter and is provided for general informational purposes only.
