Gashi warns: Bill to raise minimum wage to 600 euros enters agenda at first October session

Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi has announced that the opposition SDSM’s legislative initiative to raise the minimum wage to 600 euros will be scheduled for discussion at the next parliamentary session, expected to convene in the first weeks of October.

Asked about the support this act might receive, Gashi stressed that political forces have ample time to crystallize their final positions before debates begin. “This is the proposer, but the interest of citizens must be the main criterion when deciding on a law,” he underlined, adding that additional talks may be needed to reach a consensus.

Expressing his personal convictions, the head of the legislature affirmed that wages should follow an uninterrupted upward trajectory. According to him, this practice not only strengthens the economy as a whole but also constitutes a necessity to amortize the ongoing pressure of inflation and the decline in living standards. “Our state must be prepared to provide such responses to ease the economic burden on the shoulders of citizens,” Gashi stated.

The demand for a minimum wage of 600 euros is not new in public debate. The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia has repeatedly raised its voice on this issue, culminating in a protest on May 1 of this year. Despite a series of subsequent actions, this demand remained unanswered by the executive and the minimum wage was fixed at 426 euros, instead of what was then demanded by the Federation of Trade Unions, and today by SDSM.