Skopje, 24 March 2023 (MIA) — Employees of the Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Heritage Protection Office and the Film Agency gathered for a protest over pay in front of the Ministry of Finance, after it denied them raises but raised the salaries of its own staff by 30 percent, the unionized workers said.

According to Ministry of Culture union leader Branko Kostovski, almost 70 percent of people employed by these three state institutions earn below the average salary whereas employees doing equal work in other cultural institutions in the country get paid 10,000 denars more. 

Kostovski said the union had submitted a draft collective agreement providing raises for the union members last year but the Ministry of Finance had dismissed the proposal. A few days later, 30-percent raises had been approved for Ministry of Finance's own employees, he added.

"We welcome the salary increases of our colleagues at the Ministry of Finance, but at the same time we ask the Minister of Finance, the government and the Prime Minister not to allow unequal treatment of state employees,” the union leader said.

"We encourage our colleagues in other ministries to join us and fight with us for what is ours. The Ministry of Culture leadership supports us and we will continue demanding raises," he added. mr/