North Macedonia public holiday and labor debates

The Economic Chamber of North Macedonia has proposed legislative reforms to reduce the number of non-working public holidays. Project Manager Aneta Dimovska stated that the current number of holidays is among the highest in Europe, which creates organizational and financial difficulties for employers and impacts worker productivity. The proposal suggests maintaining 11 state holidays and allowing employees to select three specific religious or community holidays via employment contracts, effectively reducing non-working days to 13. The Chamber also suggested that holidays falling on a Sunday should not be transferred to the following Monday.

While the proposal is being submitted to the Ministry of Economy and Labor, the Federation of Trade Unions has expressed disagreement. In the context of existing laws, workers currently receive specific wage compensations for holidays. For instance, employees in both the public and private sectors are entitled to a 50 percent supplement for working on state holidays or Sundays, with certain trade sector workers potentially receiving a supplement of at least 100 percent.

In a shift in strategy, the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Macedonia has rejected the proposal to reduce public holidays. Instead, Union head Goran Gjorgjievski suggested focusing on labor market reforms to increase productivity, specifically proposing an hourly wage model similar to those in developed European and United States economies. Gjorgjievski noted that an hourly model could favor productive workers and provide flexibility for parents to meet family obligations. The Macedonian government has indicated that hourly payment is among the options being considered as they examine international experiences to improve productivity.