SSM: 'School basket' discounts won't solve families' costs — higher wages are needed

The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) says the government's "school basket" discounts are insufficient to ease parents' costs and that the real solution is higher wages for workers.

SSM: discounts don't replace pay increases

Ivan Peshevski of the Federation argued that one-off or limited discounts cannot compensate for stagnant incomes. He warned that following price rises for basic goods and school supplies must go together with tracking wage growth.

Peshevski said: "Not only do we need to follow the rise in prices of basic products and school supplies and take measures of 10 or 15 percent. We must also follow the rise in wages. If we want European prices, then we must have European wages. With a salary of 26,000 denars, believe me, even a pencil of 10 denars and a notebook of 10 denars, no matter how much you reduce them, will still be expensive, because there is no money to send the child to school, to clothe them, to provide a snack of 2,000 denars per month, let alone for languages, sports and other activities."

Public opinion is split. Some parents say the discounts help, while others call the measure populist. One parent described the campaign as "more propaganda than real help", adding that "the parent knows best what their child needs when going to school." Another said that state provision of textbooks, as happened in previous years, would be effective: "If the state can help with textbooks, that can have an effect, as it used to. Generations after me received help."

The scheme offers discounts of 10 percent for wholesale purchases and 15 percent for retail items and runs until 30 September. According to the Ministry of Economy, last year parents saved between 750 and 2,000 denars per pupil; this is the third consecutive year the measure has been applied.

Photo: press material from the event