Balgarianovinite.com With a protest under the slogan “We fight for wages, we don’t beg”, the Federation of Trade Unions of North Macedonia marked International Workers’ Day.
Representatives of various trade union organizations and workers gathered in Skopje and marched through the streets of the capital to the country’s parliament and the government building.
“We are not here today so they can hear what they want to hear, that wages are good, that collective bargaining agreements are being honoured, that overtime is being paid. Unfortunately, that is not the reality in North Macedonia. Today, we came to tell them that, according to their own data, according to data from the Public Revenue Office, half of the working people in North Macedonia live on a salary of less than EUR 600. Today, we came to tell them that one-third of the total number of working people in North Macedonia live below the poverty line. Today, we came to tell them that what they are doing is not enough,” Slobodan Trendafilov, President of the Federation of Trade Unions, told the protesters.
The protesters’ demands include raising the country’s minimum wage to EUR 600 euros (from the current level of around EUR 400), the enforcement of collective bargaining agreements, and decent working conditions.
The Independent Trade Union for Education, Science, and Culture did not participate in the protest. Instead, it organized a conference titled “Labour Policies and Collective Bargaining Agreements: Legal Framework, Implementation, and Challenges,” which prompted the President of the Federation of Trade Unions to declare that there are “quasi-trade unions” in the country who believe there should be no protests, and that May Day is for “luxury in an expensive hotel, at an expensive conference”.
The day is a public holiday in North Macedonia, and according to media reports, the three-day weekend and the new European regulation on entry and exit to and from EU countries have caused serious traffic jams at the border crossings with Greece. According to information from the Interior Ministry, 14,000 passengers crossed through the Bogorodica border crossing near Gevgelija in North Macedonia and the Evzoni border crossing in Greece over a 24-hour period. May Day Protest in Skopje Organized by Federation on Trade Unions of North Macedonia 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-01 13:34:47 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law