CMNT_TITLE

Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No. 131) - North Macedonia (RATIFICATION: 1991)

Articles 3 and 4(2) of the Convention. Criteria for determining the minimum wage level and full consultations with the social partners. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that section 4 of the Minimum Wage Act (Official Gazette No. 11/12) defined the national minimum wage as a standard percentage of the country’s gross average rate, and requested the Government to clarify: (i) whether the social criteria enumerated in Article 3 were taken into consideration for determining the level of the minimum wage; and (ii) the role of the Economic and Social Council in the minimum wage fixing process. The Committee notes that: (i) section 4 of the Minimum Wage Act was amended in 2017 (Official Gazette No. 132/17); (ii) section 4(1) of this Act currently provides that the annual adjustment of the minimum wage is based on the national average wage, the consumer price index, and the real growth of the gross domestic product; and (iii) pursuant to section 4(2) of the same Act, the Economic and Social Council provides an opinion on the annual adjustment of the minimum wage prior to its publication in the Official Gazette. The Committee also takes note of the Government’s indications in its report that: (i) the introduction of the minimum wage in 2012 has proven to be beneficial for the economy of the country and that it is thus possible to consider further increasing the level of the minimum wage; and (ii) the social partners were consulted prior to the adjustments of the minimum wage level. Finally, the Committee notes that the Government is receiving technical assistance on the application of the Convention.