"Formalize the work" - a campaign conducted by the Economic and Social Council

Dignified work is a basic right of every employee, and the quality of the right must not be the choice of the employer but his obligation. Respect for workers' rights in the country has long been burdened by the tendency to work in an informal, unregulated economy.

"Formalize the work" is the title of a campaign implemented by the Economic and Social Council, with the support of the International Labor Organization project, Strengthening Social Dialogue, funded by the European Union. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the need for a new quality of general policies that will stimulate employee reporting.

The campaign also promoted a pilot measure to be implemented by HOTAM, a collective member of the Organization of Employers of Macedonia, with the support of the ILO (through the EU-funded project - Employment and Social Affairs Platform 2), which will include tourism -catering facilities on the shores of Lake Ohrid. For that purpose, local promotions were organized in Ohrid, Struga and Skopje.

The measure, in fact, covers covering part of the social security contributions and support in the implementation of administrative procedures. It will provide a simpler "borrowing" of employees between two tourist and catering facilities, as well as the opportunity for additional training to acquire appropriate skills. Part of the measure is an online platform for connecting employers and employees of HOTAM, through which workers and vacancies are registered in the hotel and catering sector in Ohrid and Struga.

The key point is, through this type of concrete activities, to strengthen awareness, but also action against the informal economy, and to improve social protection and security for employees and to provide access to other benefits arising from employment.

Otherwise, a large percentage of the total number of employees in the tourism and catering sector are undeclared workers. According to the data, only in Ohrid and Struga from 10 to 18 percent of the total number engaged in this sector are undeclared.

Additionally, such employment should not be a basis for abolishing the compensation of the beneficiaries of social assistance, the beneficiaries of unemployment benefits due to technological redundancy, or the pension for the pensioners. This measure will stimulate these citizens to register as seasonal workers.

Recently, workers have the opportunity to report any violation of workers 'rights through the mobile application of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia, SSM - My workers' rights on the play store and apple store.