Retired soldiers protest unequal severance pay and demand permanent contracts
Protesters say legal changes produced big gaps in payouts; union proposes seven-year hiring freeze to fund compensation, ministry rejects retroactive claims.
Around a group of placards reading “We do not ask for charity, we demand equality,” “Our dignity is not in the pension” and “613 veterans do not ask for culprits, they demand the state correct the injustice,” retired professional soldiers gathered for a demonstration in front of the Government building in Skopje. They protested what they describe as large disparities in severance pay after recent legal changes and demanded equal treatment for all retired service members regardless of when they left active duty.
The protesters said the gap in payouts is stark. Vidan Kiprijanovski of the Coordinating Body of Retired Members of the Army said: "On this side of the picture are we, the soldiers who retired before 14 February 2024, and on the other side are those who retired after that date. Look at the differences in the amounts. For example, if a general then received three thousand euros as severance, now that amount is twenty-five thousand euros."
Union proposes hiring freeze to fund compensation
The Independent Union of Professional Soldiers demanded that current professional soldiers receive open-ended employment contracts and higher wages. Aleksandar Naskovski, speaking for the union, presented a legislative proposal that would stop new hires for seven years to free budget funds for compensating retirees.
"We submitted a law to the Assembly that there be no new hires for the next seven years; that would save between 10 and 12 million euros in the Ministry of Defense budget, which would be used to compensate the former retired soldiers. In addition, current professional soldiers would receive open-ended contracts and the right to a pension," Naskovski said.
The Ministry of Defense responded that requests for retroactive payment of higher severance sums are contrary to the law. The ministry stated it has fully settled its financial obligations to every former member of the Army, whether officer, non-commissioned officer, soldier or civilian, and that no debt exists. According to the ministry, the current legal framework fully and explicitly regulates the matter, with no legal gaps.
Retired professional soldiers warned that if no solution is found for their demands, they will escalate protests in multiple cities.
Photo: press material from the event
