Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2009, published 99th ILC session (2010)

Articles 3 and 12 of the Convention. Length of annual holidays and prohibition of agreements to relinquish or forego the right to annual paid leave. The Committee notes the observations of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (CCM), which were dated 2 October 2008 and transmitted to the Government on 11 November 2008. The CCM alleges that Decree No. 07-3614/1 of 26 August 2008 modifying and supplementing the Labour Relations Law of 1995, which entered into effect on 4 September 2008, was adopted without any consultations and contravenes several ratified ILO Conventions including the Convention on annual holidays with pay. More concretely, the CCM indicates that, following the amendment of the Labour Relations Law, the annual leave entitlement was lowered from 26 to 20 days and, most importantly, employers have been given the right to dispense with workers’ right to annual leave and replace it with minimal cash compensation. To date, the Government has not communicated any reply to the matters raised by the CCM. The Committee requests the Government to provide any comments it may wish to make in response to the observations of the CCM.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.