The public sector is complex and includes different groups and subgroups of jobs and accordingly, these differences cause different ways of salary calculation, said Deputy Minister of Economy and Labor Marjan Risteski at today's first public discussion "All together for professional and public administration" organized from the Center for Change Management in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Administration, within the framework of the projects "Rethinking Management" which is supported by the British Embassy in Skopje and "Encouraging Good Management and Reform of Public Administration" which is supported by NED ( National Endowment for Democracy).
When asked what the vision of the Ministry of Economy and Labor is for cooperation on the salary system, given that various state administration bodies try to regulate salaries through collective agreements, the Deputy said that salaries are currently determined in material laws, regulations, decisions and collective agreements. There are differences in the calculations, that is, somewhere salaries are calculated based on points, and somewhere by calculating complexity coefficients. In addition, these differences are complicated by the adjustment of salaries by collective agreements which are situation that has particularly come to the fore in the last two-three years, when a large number of entities from the public sector concluded collective agreements at the employer level. This led to employees from the same group or subgroup, in different institutions, and sometimes even in the same institutions, having different salaries, depending on whether they receive the salary according to a material law or according to a collective agreement, which caused huge dissatisfaction of employees in the public sector.
"On the other hand, the right to collective bargaining is included in the Constitution, as a way in which, in addition to the law, the rights and obligations of employment are regulated. So, this right remains. What we will have to do is to cooperate with all relevant institutions, and primarily with the Ministry of Public Administration, in a way that will enable uniform and fair calculation of salaries for employees at the same working positions in the public sector, but at the same time to pay attention to the spending of funds from the budget, that is, to make it impossible to undertake obligations for which financial resources are not provided from the Budget", said Deputy Minister Risteski.
Regarding the future cooperation of the Ministry of Economy and Labor with the trade unions, given the constant pressure from the various trade union associations regarding the salaries of the employees in the activities working in the public sector institutions, Deputy Minister Risteski said that with the establishment of the Economic and Social Council (ESC) from 2010 as a tripartite body, composed of representatives of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia (GRNM) and social partners (the Organization of Employers of Macedonia (OEM), the Union of Trade Unions of Macedonia (UTUM), legal framework was established at the national level , but also positive practice for conducting social dialogue, on all important issues from the economic and social sphere.
This was also the basis for tripartism in policy making and in the area of salaries. In the past 14 years, the ESC has proven to be irreplaceable forum for the exchange of opinions and consultations on the most important economic and social issues.
"Through a dialogue in the ESC, agreement was reached on the adoption of the first Minimum Salary Law in 2012, and all further amendments that provided for increase in the minimum salary. Through the ESC, the Government consults regarding all economic and employment policies, including strategic documents and operational plans in the field of employment.
All significant laws affecting workers, including public sector employees, pass before the ESC. Hence, in the future, we must continue to cooperate with all institutions, but also with unions and employers, in determining salaries, the method and methodology of salary calculation. If we want to promote consensus-building and the democratic involvement of the main actors in the field of labor, we need structures and processes for social dialogue that have the potential to solve important economic and social issues, encourage good governance, promote social peace and economic stability, and thus encourage economic progress," said Deputy Minister Risteski.