Skopje, 22 December 2024 (MIA) - We shouldn’t scrap Sunday as a non-business day, but certain professions should be exempted so they can work, Minister of Economy and Labor Besar Durmishi told Radio Free Europe in an interview.

“Employers are asking for Sunday as non-business day to be scrapped, but on the other hand the unions are asking for it to be kept. Certain types of craftsmen, chambers etc., are asking us to exempt certain professions from the measure. So, this topic is being discussed at the Economic and Social Council. We are holding a session every month, and we will see which professions will be exempted, allowing them to do their job [on Sunday] and have more products,” Durmishi said.

In the interview, Durmishi touched upon the Government’s “New Year’s consumer basket” measure, assessing that the measure is being followed and announcing similar measures for Ramadan and Easter. 

The Minister also stressed that the Government isn’t planning to raise the retirement age.

“As a member of the Government, I would reiterate the position expressed by the Prime Minister that there are no plans to raise the retirement age. However, as far as I know, analyses are underway over a reform of the pension system,” Durmishi said.

Asked about the likelihood of the Government accepting the unions’ request to raise the minimum salary to EUR 450, the Minister said employers oppose any potential increases to the minimum salary while there is no increase in productivity.

“We are ready to support any decision that the employers and unions reach. The arguments of all affected parties should be considered, the arguments of the employers since, ultimately, they are the ones that create the jobs. They are asking that productivity be increased first, and then the minimum wage. In the draft budget for 2025 there are planned funds for an increase of the minimum wage. At the end of February, when we have the final data, we will carry out analyses and see how much that increase would be. According to the current data, the minimum wage would be around Mden 24.400 (EUR 396),” the Minister said.

Photo: MIA Archive