Opposition grows to Chamber of Commerce proposal to cut public holidays

A widening coalition of churches, unions, civil organisations and political actors in North Macedonia has mobilised against a Chamber of Commerce proposal to change the law on public holidays, arguing the measures would undermine established workers’ rights.

Proposal, reactions and key points

The Chamber of Commerce of North Macedonia is preparing to submit a draft amendment to the Ministry of Economy and Labour that would effectively cap the number of non-working days available to each employee at 13. Under the plan, each worker would choose two additional non-working days from a list of holidays that do not apply to the whole population; combined with 11 state holidays this would total 13 days per person. The proposal also seeks to end the practice of transferring holidays that fall on a Sunday to the following Monday.

Responding to the initiative, the Network for Protection against Discrimination warned that access to employment rights should not depend on an employer’s goodwill or a worker’s bargaining position. "Workers' rights must be protected by law and collective agreements. Individual bargaining over the use of non-working days can lead to situations in which workers, fearing for their jobs, will give up the rights that belong to them. Workers' rights must remain guaranteed and must not depend on individual agreements," the Network said.

The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric also rejected the proposal, saying religious holidays cannot be measured only in economic terms and that they have spiritual, cultural and social value tied to identity and tradition. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski added his voice to the critics: "In principle I think that acquired rights of workers should be respected and I have no doubt about that."

The Chamber argues the current rules create organisational and financial problems for companies and hurt productivity. Citing an analysis of 36 European economies, it notes that in 70 percent of them the number of non-working days falls between 11 and 14. The Chamber also points out that when additional religious holidays observed by Orthodox believers are counted, the total in North Macedonia can reach up to 16 days per year, and that extended weekends encourage travel abroad, diverting some domestic spending outside the country.

The opposition party Levica responded with a counterproposal, advocating the introduction of a six-hour working day and arguing that solutions should focus on improving working conditions, productivity and living standards rather than curbing holidays and workers’ rights.

With the church, unions, civic groups, opposition and the prime minister all engaged, the debate over the Chamber’s proposal has broadened into a wider discussion about whether economic efficiency can be pursued at the expense of long-established labour rights.

Photo: press material from the event