I listened to the statement from the president of the union and can confirm that I was informed by the Ministry of Finance and the minister that everything was done in accordance with the law during the rebalancing process, so there should be no doubt in this matter.

I was surprised, however, by the fact that the president of SDSM [Social Democratic Union of Macedonia], almost in synchrony, immediately voiced support for the union president. I won’t delve into how he was chosen—that’s for the appropriate institutions to address—but I urge the public to follow this case closely.

In less than two months of this government’s tenure, I see what appears to be a coordinated attack against the government, which goes against laws, ethics, and principles. This attack is coming from the president of the Union of Trade Unions and the president of the largest opposition party. This leads me to believe that there might be a political motive behind this.

I urge people not to fall prey to political campaigns. The government is committed to engaging in dialogue with all legitimate trade union organizations because the need to increase wages is clear.

To the members of the trade union organization, I say: do not be swayed by political campaigns within the union. We are a government that will soon sit down and discuss these matters with all legitimate trade union organizations. We have no issue with this, and we want to help. I fully understand the need to raise wages.

Most people live on their salaries—not on commissions, corrupt tenders, shopping centers, or marijuana factories. All of us here live on a salary. Now, some people may comment on these matters, and yes, I would also like to see a 5,000 euro salary, but we must work towards that, considering the current state of the Budget, which was impacted by unforeseen adjustments according to the collective agreements. With the rebalancing, we had to make some necessary alignments.

At the same time, I would like to point out that this same union was misled by the former Minister of Labor and Social Policy. Thus, we all come to the simple conclusion that there is a lot of politics involved, and very little focus on actual workers’ rights.”