Former Finance Minister Trajko Slaveski says that the Government is politicizing the adoption of the minimum wage. Slaveski added that the process is led by public sector unions, while it will affect private sector workers.

The increase in the minimum wage can be done with less tensions and fewer divisions. We have almost no private sector unions – we estimate that only 5 percent of private sector employees are union members. If we had unions that work with the employers over months, we would not have such ultimatums, Slaveski said.

In a TV interview he asked the Government why it is not also aligning other wages to the minimum wage.

If we following the same formula, a teacher who now earns 24,000 denars should receive 44,000, Slaveski noted.