SIGNING OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECENT WORK COUNTRY PROGRAM 2015-2018
3/26/2015
Caption 1: Address of the President of CCM, PhD Zhivko Mitrevski
On 26.3.2015, in the Parliamentary Club a Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of the Decent Work Country Program (DWCP) 2015-2018 was signed.
The memorandum was signed by the Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Dime Spasov; ILO Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Antonio Graziosi; the National Coordinator of ILO for Macedonia, Emil Krstanovski; the President of the Federation of Trade Unions, PhD Zhivko Mitrevski; the President of the Organization of Employers, Angel Dimitrov; the President of the Union of Independent and Autonomous Trade Unions of Macedonia, Slobodan Antovski and the President of the Business Confederation of Macedonia, Mile Boshkov.
Over the next four years, the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, trade unions, employers' organizations and the International Labor Organization (ILO), will jointly implement the Decent Work Country Program.
Caption 2: The social partners on the joint tet-a tet meeting with ILO representatives
This program shall promote decent work as a key component of the development policies and as goal of the national policy of governments and social partners. The DWCP is a medium-term planning framework that provides guidelines for ILO’s work in a particular country in accordance with the priorities and objectives agreed among its tripartite constituents.
The DWCP, its priorities and objectives have been agreed following a comprehensive process of consultation with the tripartite constituents of the ILO in the country. The established strategic priorities and results shall be realized in the period 2015-2018 through joint activities of the Government and the social partners on the one hand and the ILO on the other.
Within the overall theme of "decent work for all", the DWCP shall concentrate on three national program priorities for the period 2015-2018, as follows:
- Job- rich inclusive growth and sustainable enterprises;
- Effective social dialogue;
- Formalization of the informal economy;
On the meeting his address on the importance of the DWCP had the President of CCM, PhD Zhivko Mitrevski who noted the following:
"Today's signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of the Decent Work Country Program for 2015-2018 is of a great importance. Republic of Macedonia continues the realization of the decent work concept, which is particularly important in terms of economic and financial crisis. The signing of the present document shall mean a further challenge imposed to the social partners in the implementation of the main objectives of the decent work concept.
The decent work concept for the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia and for the workers shall mean striving towards eradication of poverty, elimination of inequality and creation of a prerequisite for a fair, inclusive and sustainable community development.
The idea that work and labor are precondition for personal dignity of the citizens, workers and their families’ stability, and a prerequisite for democracy is at the core of the concept for decent work. All this is connected with the degree of the democratic relations in our society which is a basis for the prosperity of our country.
With the signing of this memorandum, we shall try to achieve more goals, creation of new productive jobs, improvement of the labor market, which the government has put as a top priority on its agenda, and we as unions give support and believe that the new measures shall be implemented and the rights of the elderly workers, including the ability to solve the problem regarding redundant workers shall be as well realized. In terms of guaranteeing labor rights for the purposes of the concept of decent work we shall specifically focus, together with the other partners, on the area of the right to a union organizing of a huge group of workers who have been working in the industrial areas and who are not unionized and have been facing with certain existential problems and non-application of labor legislation. Our emphasis shall be placed on transforming the vast majority of jobs with fixed-time employment to permanent contracts. That is the essence of the concept of decent work, to provide decent life for the workers.
In terms of ensuring the promotion of social protection for all workers, we as social partners shall contribute to a full implementation of the active measures and policies implemented by the Government.
As a final segment of the novelties which have been mentioned, will be the transition from informal to formal economy, which for us as unions means providing additional livelihood and providing secure jobs for those workers who are currently working in the informal economy, as well as providing decent wages.
Within the concept of decent work we will stand in particular for further implementation of the social dialogue at all levels, including the process of signing collective agreements in those areas where collective agreements are not signed. A special emphasis shall be placed on the gender equality.
I deem that the social partners in the Republic of Macedonia together with all other relevant factors in the country, ILO and the UN, shall have the capacity, power and a common strategy to implement this decent work concept over the next three years."