Skopje, 19 October 2023 (MIA) - Starting tomorrow, the judiciary administration will not handle urgent cases if the Government is not willing to negotiate with the union over demands for wage increase and reinstatement of bonuses, said Union of Administration, Judiciary and Citizens' Associations (UPOZ) leader Trpe Deanoski on Thursday.

Deanoski said the strike will not stop and if the Government working group is not willing to negotiate, the strikes will become more relentless.

"The Government should be aware that if the working group will not negotiate even after these protests, the entire judiciary will not perform any duties. Any further delay and avoidance of solution will cause additional anger among strikers, and the Union will not be responsible for consequences of that anger," said the union leader.

What the Union finds controversial is that the Government insists that minimum wage be removed as a basic element in their wages.

"This can only mean one thing. When the minimum wage goes up next March, these employees will not get a minimum wage alignment. The projection is that the minimum wage will increase by Mden 3,000-4,000, which will create more chaos in the administration, prosecutor's offices and judiciary," Deanoski added.

Last month, the Government set up a working group to address the demands of the judiciary staff. ssh/ik/