Union of Trade Unions: Paying by the hour could be a backdoor way to cut wages

The Union of Trade Unions of Macedonia warned that a proposal by the country's chambers of commerce to start paying workers by the hour could be a veiled attempt to reduce wages and weaken labour rights.

Goran Gjorgjievski, president of the Union of Chambers of Commerce of Macedonia, said the chambers do not support cutting the number of public holidays but want to introduce hourly pay to boost productivity. He argued the model would favour more industrious employees and that an employee could work three hours one day and five the next.

Deputy Minister of Economy Marjan Risteski said no formal proposal has been submitted so far, but that paying by the hour is among the options that would need to be examined at the Economic-Social Council, where unions take part.

Unions demand stronger controls and warn of misuse

Trade union representatives described the idea as another in a series of measures that undermine worker protections. They pointed out that employers are already required to pay each hour of overtime at a 35 percent premium, but that overtime is often abused and hours go unregistered.

The unions called for stronger institutional oversight to make sure every hour worked is recorded and paid. In a statement they asked why attention was being shifted away from core issues such as low pay.

As the Union of Trade Unions put it: "Let's not even talk about how miserable the hourly rate is in Macedonia for minimum-wage workers, which is 155 denars net, and that's why they invent topics to deflect from the most important issue, while enabling bosses to keep workers on the lowest minimum wage and the lowest wages overall. From that it is legitimate to ask the question: 'Are they asking that a worker be paid for every hour worked, or are they looking for a way to pay him less?'"

The chambers previously proposed reducing the number of public holidays, a suggestion that drew strong backlash from unions and the public. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski later reacted that acquired rights should be respected. The hourly-pay option, if formally proposed, would be debated at the Economic-Social Council.

Photo: press material from the event