Majority of UPOZ union branches agreed with the Government to implement the plan for a significant, 40 percent increase of salaries over two years. UPOZ representatives, who speak for the public sector unions, met with Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski yesterday to discuss their demands, days after a protest by an SDSM party aligned union – SSM.

As we announced last year, there will be three salary increases of 8 percent, over a couple of years. Unfortunately, the increase won’t be the 10 percent we asked for. But the Government agreed to begin paying them in March, said Trpe Deanoski, head of the UPOZ union. Nearly all UPOZ branches agreed with the proposal.