ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

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On August 25, 2010 Agreement was signed on Establishing the Economic - Social Council.

Signatories are the Government, the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia CCM, the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Macedonia KSS and Employers' Organisation of Macedonia.

The three social partners participate with four members in the Economic and Social Council. Members of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia in ESC are president of CCM Mr.Zivko Mitrevski, M.Sc. and President of the Trade Union of Industry, Energy and Mining of Macedonia Mr. Pece Ristevski. Their deputies in ESC are Mr. Angelko Angelkovski, Secretary General of CCM and president of the Trade Union of the workers in textile, leather and shoe industry of Macedonia, and Mr. Tihomir Klimovski, president of the Macedonian Police Trade Union.

The establishment of the ESC is representing opening of a new stage in conduct of the social dialogue at national level. Namely, ESC was first established on December 30, 1996, but the institution was activated in 2010. The reasons were the apathy of the previous governments, also the trade unions were not united and in oppsition, as well as the vague criteria of their representativeness. Concerning the third partner, employers, the reasons were the delay in organizing the Association of Employers. But the biggest reason was actually lack of political will, which was characteristic of all three parties.

This situation was repeatedly criticized by the EU institutions, especially in the last two to three years. The actual steps and preparations were raised last year, with the amendments to the Labour Law. The first step was defining the requirements for representativeness of trade unions and employers, for which changes are made and inserted as provisions in the Labor Law. The criteria for representativeness of trade unions are given in the articles of 211 to 220 in the Labor Law, which are officially published on February 5, 2010. Among other conditions, the law specifies that a representative union at national level is the union that joins at least 10% of the total number of employees in the country.

On July 23, 2010 Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia CCM and the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Macedonia KSS received decision on representation from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of Republic of Macedonia. A Decision on representation at the same time received the  Organization of Employers of Macedonia. This created conditions for the final establishment of the ESC.

On August 25 the Agreement on establishment was signed, while the first constitutive session of the council was held on September 15, 2010.

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