North Macedonia’s President Urges Reflection on Workers’ Rights
Today we celebrate International Workers’ Day, we celebrate those working hard as well as those who had left a historic mark in the long and difficult fight for acknowledging workers’ labour and workers’ rights, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova wrote in an International Workers’ Day greeting, CE Report quotes MIA.
“On this day, we honour the workers – generations and generations of the majority of people with the biggest contribution to creating and building the country and social values,” she said.
May Day, the President added, is the day when workers and unions protest for higher pays and more rights rightfully and the Macedonian state has a constitutional duty to take care of social justice and solidarity being the founding values of the constitutional order.
“May Day is the right day when we, office holders, should ask ourselves: whether the right to work is exercised, does everyone have a free choice of employment, are workers protected when finding employment, are they compensated during unemployment period, does everyone have access to any job under equal conditions, whether earnings are adequate to the labour performed, do all workers have the right to days off and annual leave, are collective agreements honoured,” said Siljanovska-Davkova.
In a democratic political system, workers’ voice must be heard, trade unions and the right to strike must be respected, she stressed.
“I’m confident that only satisfied workers can be productive, effective and efficient. Let us cherish and invest in our most valuable resource – people,” concluded the President.
