Skopje, 12 December 2021 (MIA) – The government, represented by Minister for Information Society and Administration Jeton Shaqiri and the PM’s labor and social policy advisor Milan Zhivkovikj held a meeting on Sunday with representatives of the Federation of Trade Unions (SSM) and discussed their demands for higher minimum wage, making Sunday a rest day, the private sector’s general collective agreement, etc., the government said in a press release. They, the press release read, presented the government’s positions on advancing labor rights in North Macedonia and stressed its efforts for ensuring that Sunday is a rest day, as well as increasing the minimum wage to Mden 18,000 in 2022 and up to Mden 20,000 by the end of its term. Minister Shaqiri underlined that the government has an obligation to hear workers out, noting that the current administration will always be open to meeting unions’ demands. The Minister expressed full readiness to organize talks between the government and social partners, aimed at finding ways to advance labor rights, including increasing the minimum wage. “The government and unions agreed that a working group should gather the necessary information for achieving social goals, by 20 January 2022 at the latest,” the press release read.