Macedonia's Main Union Snubs Mayday Protests

The leftist Solidarnost (Solidarity) movement, the Lenka movement for social justice, as well as the Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers, SSNM, are among a few unions that plan to use May 1, international labour day, to hold protests in Macedonia.

The Confederation of Trade Unions of Macedonia, KSOM, has also joined the call to join Mayday protests.

Under the slogan “We Want Rights, not Barbecues”, the organizations are countering what has become the tradition of the main Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia, SSM, which is to use the day to encourage workers to go out on picnics.

The NGOs and smaller unions say the SSM has turned into a pseudo-union, or “yellow union”, which works only to keep industrial peace under government direction.

“The refusal of the SSM to support any protests, even symbolic ones, leaves the impression that there are no class differences in the country and that May 1 is still symbolized by barbecues and celebrations, which is undoubtedly the goal of the SSM leadership, which supports all government policies," Zdravko Saveski, of Solidarnost, said.

SSM head Zivko Mitrevski, whose organization has not staged a May 1 protest for some five years, on Wednesday said that they would “celebrate” the day with a special session of the union leadership and a parade in central Skopje.

Mitrevski has defended the SSM's record, saying it has continuously improved workers’ rights, has made key changes to labour law, has eliminated discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace and has tightened up the regulations and definitions of overtime.

But the organizers of the Mayday protests say that in a country where average wages are just over 300 euro a...