On the occasion of Miner’s Day, August 28, part of the politicians attended various ceremonies and celebrations.
Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Mila Carovska, was in Probistip yesterday, where she reminded of the fulfilled promise of the MLSP and the Government on reducing the retirement age of miners, with the amendments to the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance.
“We promised and we reduced the retirement age of underground mine workers and so far, in accordance with this Law, 51 miners have retired, of which 8 are from Probistip. With the legal amendments that are in force since the end of last year, mine workers are entitled to retirement upon reaching 40 years of service for men, or 35 years of service for women. This means that if a mine worker previously retired upon reaching 58 years of age, with the new solution, the miner will retire at about the age of 50. With these legal amendments, the long-time demands of miners are being met”, said Carovska.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev today will attend and address an event dedicated to observing Miner’s Day, and at the same time, the marking of 40 years of work of the “Bucim” mine.
The government’s concern for mining and the legal changes that contribute to improvement of miner’s rights should be praised, but on this important day for professionals whose work is a constant risk to their lives, we need to remember in what kind of conditions miners work in.
Two years ago, CIVIL, as part of the project activities, had an interview with a mine worker from Probistip, who, in addition to the working conditions, also compared how work is done in our country and how it is done Serbia, where he has also worked.
“The working conditions here are at a very low level, there is no protection of workers. There is no trade union here, while in Serbia the trade unions are at a very high level. There is concern for workers. The mining trade union is a factor that is heard in the Government and everywhere. The union decides on many issues. Here there is no right to participate in a trade union organization, nor is forming a trade union organization allowed”, said the miner.
He also outlined that he has been very lucky for not having had some major accident. Though I would never let my own children to work in a mine.
CIVIL Media congratulates Miner’s Day and urges for the authorities to take even more drastic measures for improving the conditions in mines, but also for protection of their workers’ rights and safety at work.
Biljana Jordanovska
This post is also available in: Macedonian
