Gov’t to make detailed analyses to continue pay raises in higher education
Skopje, 4 October 2022 (MIA) – The work of professors should truly be appreciated and valued, but we must also take into account the situation in the country amid the economic crisis, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi and Education Minister Jeton Shaqiri told Tuesday’s meeting with representatives of the Association of Trade Unions of the Skopje Ss. Cyril and Methodius University.
The meeting focused on the Skopje University trade union’s demands for pay raises of professors and signing a separate collective agreement for the University, independent of the current collective agreement with the Union for Education, Science and Culture (SONK) signed last year, the government said in a press release.
The government officials told the representatives of the Skopje University trade union led by president Angel Ristov that over the past four years salaries of university employees have increased by a total of 20 percent, i.e. 5 percent in September 2019, 8 percent in September 2021 and 7 percent in September 2022.
“In addition, the PM and the ministers said detailed analyses and calculations will be made in order to continue pay raises in higher education and science next year as well, while asking the union to also reorganize the faculties and introduce new attractive study programs which will increase the higher education institutions’ income. The Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, in addition to working on increasing salaries in education, also works on promoting scientific research projects for public scientific institutions, as well as on the procurement of equipment for laboratories, accreditation of laboratories for scientific research activity,” reads the press release.
The government adds that certain scholarships have been brought back and new ones have been introduced for postgraduate and doctoral studies in the country towards improving the situation in higher education.
