Besar Durmishi: Workers' already acquired rights must not be cut

Ministry of Economy and Labour Minister Besar Durmishi said on Friday that already acquired workers' rights should not be reduced, commenting on a proposal from the Economic Chamber to cut the number of statutory non-working days.

Proposal to be discussed at the Economic and Social Council on 19 October

Durmishi said that, if the Chamber submits its draft changes, the measure will be considered at the Economic and Social Council session scheduled for 19 October. He also noted that until now the Ministry has not received the formal proposal.

On the question of public holidays and workers' entitlements he stated: "Workers have acquired rights that belong to them. Holidays are for citizens who belong to any religion and we will not intervene in that area."

The Economic Chamber announced on 5 October that it will soon deliver to the Ministry draft amendments to the Law on Holidays that would effectively reduce the number of non-working days to 13 and stop shifting holidays that fall on a Sunday to the following Monday.

Project manager Aneta Dimovska told reporters that the draft does not abolish existing holidays but instead revises the right to use non-working days. Trade unions immediately opposed the proposal, arguing it would decrease the number of days off for workers. Durmishi added that the government should focus on raising institutional productivity rather than demotivating employees: "We need to work on increasing productivity in institutions, not to demotivate workers with these steps."

Photo: Printskrin