As a general rule, the Foreigners` Employment and Insurance Act, Official Journal 217/2015 („Foreigners Employment Act”), provides a quota for foreigners who may be employed in northern Macedonia. The quota is set by the government, on the proposal of the Ministry of Labour, in cooperation with the Employment Agency, other relevant ministries in the relevant areas and the Economic and Social Council. Part-time work is governed by the Labour Relations and Collective Agreements Act. A worker who works in particularly difficult or difficult circumstances or in conditions that are dangerous to health (i.e. the capacity to work) that cannot be eliminated by protective measures has reduced working time compared to adverse health effects. In the exercise of the reference right on wages and other labour rights, part-time periods are equated with periods of full-time work (Labour Relations Act, Section 122-a). A part-time work permit is issued by the Minister responsible for labour issues, at the request of the union, in agreement with the Institute of Labour Health and the Labour Inspectorate. In June 2006, the OEM signed, on behalf of employers, the general collective agreement for the North Macedonian economy, signed by the SSM on behalf of workers. The Confederation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) has 17 branches and is a member of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). It has 37,792 members in the public sector, representing 23.7% of the total number of people employed in this sector, and 28,594 members in the private sector, or 9.1%.
It has a nationally representative status in the private and public sectors. Labour relations between 2014 and 2017 were characterized by limited bipartisan social dialogue (collective bargaining) and a little more tripartite social dialogue (which takes place within the framework of the Economic and Social Council). The process of decentralizing tripartite social dialogue to local self-government continued during this period, with the number of local economic and social councils (LESCs) increasing from 9 to 15. Article 9 of the Constitution of Northern Macedonia contains a general equality clause which provides that citizens are equal in freedoms and rights, regardless of gender, race, colour or national or social origin. The most important level of collective bargaining on wages and working time is the national level – that is, the general collective agreement. Then there are sectoral collective agreements, followed by collective agreements at the employer level. This order is due to the power of trade unions at the national level and the ability of the National Economic and Social Council to enforce these issues. As noted above, a reduction in wages must be agreed upon by mutual agreement, which was agreed in writing as part of the employment contract. In the absence of such consent and if the employer pays a reduced salary for a period of 3 months, the worker may terminate the employment contract after written warning.
In this case, the worker is entitled to severance pay and damages. In general, premiums are calculated cumulatively for a variety of reasons. Alternative methods of resolving labour disputes are very rarely used.