25TH TRADE UNION SCHOOL OF THE UNION OF UPOZ

Attention: open in a new window. PDFPrintE-mail

03/13/2014

13.03.2014-foto3Address by the President Mitrevski on the 25th TU School of UPOZ

On 03/13/2014 in hotel Car Samoil - Strumica the 25th TU School of the Trade Union of UPOZ was held. The TU School was opened by the President of UPOZ, Peco Gruevski and the President of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (CCM), PhD Zivko Mitrevski addressed the participants specifically focusing on CCM’s activities regarding the Law on Administrative Officers and the Law on Public Sector Employees.

President Mitrevski informed the participants on the activities related to the promotion of labor legislation, highlighting the changes in 2013 as well as the ratification of the three fundamental conventions: Convention on Labor Administration No. 150, Convention on Labor Relations (Public Service) No. 151, and Recommendation on Labor Relations (Public Service) No. 159, which were the basis for conducting negotiations and accepting the objections of trade unions of the public sector in CCM on the Law on Administrative Officers and the Law on Public Sector Employees.

13.03.2014-foto4Participants at the 25th TU School of UPOZ

Activities of CCM regarding the text of the draft - laws

Considering the importance of the matter governing the Law on Administrative Officers and the Law on Public Sector Employees (Official Gazette No. 27/2014), the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia seriously approached to reviewing and analyzing the proposed text of these laws.

According to the conclusion of the Session of CCM’s Presidency held on 12/23/2013, the President of CCM and all presidents of the affiliated unions in the public sector in CCM had a meeting with the Minister of Information Society and Administration on which the draft amendments to these laws had been reviewed. During the meeting it was agreed trade union to submit in writing suggestions and remarks upon these laws to the MISA.

In the same context another meeting on 02/01/2014 was held in the premises of MISA.

According to the agreed at the meeting with the Minister of MISA, their suggestions and proposals have submitted the following:

  • Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia;
  • Trade Union of the Workers in Forestry, Wood Industry and Energy of the Republic of Macedonia No. 03-00 of 01/08/2014;
  • Independent Trade Union of Health, Pharmacy and Social Care of the Republic of Macedonia No. 0301-6/1 from 01/09/2014;
  • Macedonian Police Union No. 0302-004 of 01/03/2014;
  • Trade Union of the Workers in Catering, Tourism, Housing - Communal Economy, Craftsmanship and Protective Associations of the Republic of Macedonia No. 0306-1 of 01/08/2014 and
  • Trade Union of Defense and Security No. 0306-8/10 of 01/08/2014.

Regarding the comments submitted by the unions on the two draft laws negotiations with the MISA were organized on 01/10/2014, and as agreed at the meeting of 01/11/2014, separate meetings had representatives of MPS, SOB and SUTKOZ, while the Independent Trade Union of Health- on 01/13/2014.

Based on the written proposal and discussions on the meetings between CCM and the unions in the public sector affiliated in CCM with the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, the Minister of Information Society and Administration has accepted a larger number of the proposals for the amendments to the Draft Laws.

As a significant made upon CCM’s proposal are the following:

A key consent on the provisions of the proposed legislation has been reached in order to be clarified and further regulated in the collective agreements beside the laws. This is especially important because CA are acts that are signed by unions as representatives of workers and even in the Constitution are given equal legal validity as the laws when it comes to regulating the legal working status of employees.

Also, creating conditions for regulating labor administration with CA in accordance with the Labor Administration Convention No. 150, Convention on Labor Relations (Public Service) No. 151 and Recommendation on Labor Relations (Public Service) No. 159 that have been ratified in RM upon proposal of CCM. The implementation of conventions and recommendations in these laws represents an adaptation of the national legislation with the European and with international labor standards and is an important condition for EU integration processes of RM.

(Article 4 of the Law on Administrative Officers and Art. 3, 24, 25 and 26 of the Law on Public Sector Employees)

The proposal of the unions to reduce participation of superior in the overall assessment of administrative officers effectiveness from 75 % to 65 % and thus to increase the participation of colleagues, associates, clients or administrative officers and to reduce the possibility of subjectivity and tendency in the assessment process has been adopted.

(Article 65, paragraph 5, Law on Administrative Officers)

Upon trade union proposal in the assessment of the effectiveness of administrative officials for greater transparency of the procedure, to participate TU representative, it has been regulated that in the implementation of the assessment by four other administration officials a commission that conducts the assessment to be established in which one member would be a trade union representative, in the institutions where TU are organized.

(Article 65, paragraph 10, Law on Administrative Officers)

In order to avoid the possibilities for subjective determination of the amount of award of administrative officers for whom the annual assessment is "particularly outstanding" upon TU request an agreement has been reached that instead of a bonus "to a salary" to be bonus of " last paid salary".

(Article 68, paragraph 1, Law on Administrative Officers)

At the request of the unions further concessions have been made regarding the amount and duration of the reduction in salary for poor performance. The accepted proposal is the percentage of union involvement in the pay for officers who partially met obligations, from 30% is reduced to 20% and for the lowest evaluated officials from 20% to 10%. At the same time the duration of the period during which the salary is reduced from a year is shortened to six months.

(Article 68, paragraph 2, Law on Administrative Officers)

Also it has been agreed, a TU representative to participate in committees that enforce disciplinary procedures and disciplinary offenses in institutions where TUs have been established.

(Article 76, paragraph 3, Law on Administrative Officers)

At the end of his address President Mitrevski mentioned the challenges that labor movement has been facing especially for neighboring countries, where workers’ rights have been drastically reduced in the labor legislation which is not the case for the Republic of Macedonia, due to the strategy of social dialogue development. At the same time President Mitrevski congratulated to UPOZ for the 25th Anniversary of the TU School as well as congratulated for the awards of participants.

ILO Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities - EU FRIEDRICH EBERT STIFTUNG Организацијa на работодавачи на Македонија etuc