Economic‑Social Council to review number of non‑working days and religious holidays
Added to the council's annual work plan after members' requests; Chamber of Commerce will send a proposal to the Ministry of Economy while unions point to pay rules.
The Chamber of Commerce's request to revise the number of non-working days and religious holidays in the calendar has been placed on the Economic‑Social Council's annual work plan after several council members asked it be added as an agenda item.
Council to take up the topic at its scheduled sessions
Representatives from the business community argue that some religious holidays create interruptions in production processes, and the Chamber has signalled it will not back down from pursuing changes. The Chamber plans to discuss its proposal internally and then forward it to the Ministry of Economy.
Trade unions, however, say the core problem is not the number of non‑working days but the law that obliges employers to pay "two and a half daily wages" when a worker is engaged on a Sunday, a state holiday or another non‑working day.
The topic was debated this evening on the programme "Top Tema" by Aneta Dimovska of the Chamber of Commerce, Angel Dimitrov of the Organization of Employers and Slobodan Trendafilov of SSM.
With the issue now formally on the Economic‑Social Council agenda, the coming sessions will show whether the debate moves toward legislative change, administrative adjustment at the ministry level, or a negotiated solution between employers and unions.
Photo: press material from the event
