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MILS: News from the FYROM, 96-12-24Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 24 December, 1996[01] STRIKE OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS CONTINUESThe strike staged by the employees of the `Mavrovo' Construction Company in front of the company HQ continued yesterday, whereas the employees of the `Tehnika' Construction Contractor kept the space in front of the Macedonian Government building as their venue - according to media coverage. The Macedonian radio reports that the workers of both companies insist on the fulfillment of their demands - the payment of overdue salaries. Employees of `Tehnika' request the forwarding of the last seven pays, while those of `Mavrovo' demand the payment of November salaries - following the reception of income for the month of October. The `Mavrovians' have at the same time requested the payment of domestic and hard currency reimbursement for construction projects carried out abroad, as well as the payment of retirement pension, impairment and health insurance rates - and reimbursement for meals and travel expenses for `96. Representatives of the Strike Boards stated that written requests for a meeting would be forwarded to their managements, in order to procure an opportunity to analyse demands and come up with a solution - i.e. fulfill the former. They have also pledged to adhere to ratified solutions, i.e. to the agreement compiled during the meeting with Urbanism and Civil Engineering Minister Jorgo Shundovski.Employees of the `Pelagonija' Construction Contractor, of the fourth construction site at Veles, commenced a strike due to the omission to cover their pay - as well as their contributions for retirement pension and health insurance over the 14 past months. In order to come up with a solution their Union representatives have requested a meeting with the General Director of the `Pelagonija' Construction Contractor. [02] TRADE UNION OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS: PARTY INVOLVEMENT IN INDEPENDENT TRADE UNION FEDERATIONThe leadership of the Trade Union Organisation of Construction Workers, comprised of over 30 000 members, held a session yesterday which was followed by a feedback- session with its membership base. On this occasion it has been stressed that the Union has permanently forwarded the membership's demands over a longer period of time to management structures, as these requests were generated forth by the provisions of the Law on Employment Relations and Collective Agreements - particularly as far as the payment of gross incomes and reimbursements are concerned.The Union has also reached the conclusion that the rights of employees were either not fulfilled at all - or with considerable delay which is conducive to revolt among workers. The press release of this Trade Union - otherwise a member of the Trade Union Federation of Macedonia - states that it is the only organisation in charge of staging strikes, as well as that by covering the majority of employees in this sector the Union was constantly concerned with launching activities, negotiating and ratifying options to meet the demands of strikers. The release further claims that parties have infiltrated the Independent Trade Union Federation, as they have announced mass strikes during elections. By taking advantage of discontent among employees, they have contributed to the besieging of the `Mavrovo' company HQ, in addition to conducting forceful recruiting of members and making unrealistic promises - which is driving these companies into bankruptcy or ruin. [03] CITY UNION WORKERS CONTINUE DEMONSTRATIONSThe expert services of the Trade Union Organisation of Skopje have been on strike for the past 15 days, while the Trade Union Federation of Macedonia leadership has not offered any sort of olive branch so far. Thus demonstrations are to continue today. The press release of the expert services of the Skopje Trade Union states that the Federation leadership is not capable of fulfilling the responsibilities it has assumed. `How can this Union leadership solve problems of organisations, meet the needs of the membership, when it has been unable to come up with an appropriate mode to regulate employment relations and the rights of employees within their own expert services?' claims the Strike Board.[04] SETTLING MISUNDERSTANDING WITH MINISTRY OF INTERIORMedia report that several participants of the Friday demonstrations have been invited for informative talks to the police, in order to discuss the reasons for blocking traffic. The President of the Independent Trade Union Federation, Blagoja Ivanovski, had a meeting with the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior Dime Gjurev. Ivanovski furthermore stressed that the route of the march and the duration of the protests were submitted to the Ministry in time, which was followed by the obtaining of a registered permit. According to Ivanovski the reasons to continue demonstrations and the traffic blockade were police interventions due to unauthorised movement in front of the Parliament / Government. With respect to those invited to informative talks, `Vecher' reports that misunderstandings had been settled: the motive for these talks were not the peaceful demonstrations themselves - but other violations subject to legal sanctions.[05] BOYCOTT OF ALBANIAN STUDENTS TO CONTINUE UNTIL LEGALLY CODIFIED SOLUTION OF THEIR DEMANDS IS BROUGHT ABOUTThe Students of the study course class instruction in Albanian of the Pedagogical Faculty in Skopje, demanding entire instruction in Albanian language, continued their protests in front of the Macedonian Parliament yesterday.During that day they were also received by Parliamentary Chairman Tito Petkovski who - according to official records - said that as the enactment of laws is a responsibility of the Government and appropriate ministries, the Parliament would forward the students' demands to these institutions and to the Pedagogical Faculty. Afterwards the students were also received by Education Minister Sofija Todorova, and several faculty readers. Following two hours of talks with students Minister Todorova stated that the Pedagogical Faculty was not willing to undertaking anything more concrete regarding instruction in minority languages, while obviously awaiting the ratification of the new Law on Tertiary Education. Due to this - according to Todorova - the Government would provide a legal solution outlining the resolving of this issue as a task of the Pedagogical Faculty. A-1 TV reports that the students stated after these talks that they were optimistic regarding the enactment of a solution fulfilling their demands. They, however, added that the boycott and protests would continue until this legal provision is ratified. [06] `ELEPHTEROTYPIA': HARD-LINER FACTION IN SKOPJE ASSAULTED FROM THE INSIDEThe Macedonian public is undergoing changes in terms of attitudes on resolving the name-issue with Greece... reported moderate left-wing paper `Elephterotypia' in Greece. According to `Makfax' the paper assesses that the Macedonian Head of Diplomacy Ljubomir Frchkovski has been subjected to ironic criticism due to persistent insistence to leave the name of Macedonia unaltered. Within this context there is a substantial quotation of the recently published editorial of `Dnevnik' under the heading `Assaults Against Hard-Liner Faction in Skopje from the Inside', as it advocates an expedient compromise between Athens and Skopje upon Macedonian initiative, and the discarding of present policy and tactics concerning the name-issue.`Elephterotypia' also published extracts of the latest issue of `Puls' in which a reporter discards the disavowals of Frchkovski regarding the paper's allegations that Macedonia would recognise Greece's historical past within a special declaration, in exchange for the right to implement its constitutional name for its own purposes. [07] MPS TO BE ADDRESSED BY PRESIDENT GLIGOROV TODAYToday the Parliament is to assemble for its 57th Session, during which MPs are to be addressed by the Head of State, Kiro Gligorov who is to submit a report on his work. This will be followed by the continuing of the 56th Session on the draft of the National Budget for next year, i.e. on the draft-bill on budget implementation and the proposal to ratify the Hague Agreement on International Registration of Designs and Models. The provisional agenda for this session has been complemented by the Amendments to the Law on Pension and Impairment Insurance, and by several legal initiatives on altering and complementing legal provisions on tax policy, on income tax, real estate tax, VAT, produce and service charges and revenue tax.[08] PANEL ON CONSTITUTIONAL QUALITY OF 220 000 SIGNATURE PETITIONThe Constitutional quality of the civic initiative resulting in a petition of 220 000 signatures for staging a referendum on early parliamentary elections is the thematic focus of a panel to be organised at the Skopje City Council premises. It is to be hosted by IMRO-DPMNE and will include introductory speeches by Ljupcho Georgievski, Petar Goshev, Svetomir Shkarikj - whereas it is also expected to be attended by Chairs of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court and the National Judiciary Council. `Dnevnik' reports that the conclusions of this panel are to be forwarded to the International Tribunal of Justice, the UN Human Rights Commission, the Council of Europe, EU Commissions and to the OSCE.[09] SKOPJE CITY COUNCIL CONSISTING OF 39 EQUAL MEMBERSNot only the 25 elected members of the Skopje City Council, but rather all 39 members including the delegates of municipal units within the territory of the city enjoy equal status regarding the implementation of rights and fulfilling of obligations within the Council's work... assessed the Legislative - Legal Commission upon request of the former mayor of Skopje Jove Kekenovski to render an authentic interpretation of certain legal provisions affecting the city of Skopje within the appropriate act of law. The initial question of Kekenovski delved into whether the Council could be comprised of 25 members, without the delegates of city municipalities.[10] UNOFFICIAL RESULTS OF REPEATED SECOND ROUND OF MAYOR ELECTIONSFollowing repeated votings of round 2 of mayor elections at 6 municipalities, unofficial results have yielded the following: at Radovish where elections were repeated at 5 polling stations the race is being led by Kircho Susinov (SDSM), at Probishtip with repeated votings at 4 polling stations this applies to the IMRO-DPMNE coalition candidate, at Zhelino Rametula Ejupi (PDP) emerged victorious after repeats at 2 polling stations, at Murtino it was Aco Hristov (DP coalition) following new votings at 1 polling station, just like in Valandovo where Nikola Uzunov (SDSM) appears to have won.[11] REDUCTION OF TAX ON CIGARETTESAn Amendment to the Draft-Law on Altering and Complementing the Bill on Taxation of Luxury Goods - proposing tax reductions - has been adopted during yesterday's session of the Macedonian Government. This, according to official records, is conducive to the decreasing of retail prices of cigarettes, i.e. their equalling to rates now prevailing on the black market.Such an option underlines the Bill's objective to eliminate gray economy and discourage the smuggling of cigarettes. Yesterday the Government has also outlined the Draft-Law on Issuing and Trading Stocks, which facilitates the trading of stocks and shareholding in ways identical to those codified within the legislation of developed market economies and capital markets. [12] SMUGGLING OF EIGHT TONS OF CIGARETTES OBSTRUCTEDBased on a release of the Ministry of the Interior, an attempt to smuggle 8 280 tons of cigarettes (`Ronhill' brand, value: 4.2 million denars) across the border checkpoint `Tabanovce' has been detected last week. The cigarettes were hidden in a truck behind other goods: apples. According to records this attempt had been carried out by a 9-member organisation, including two customs officers to the team posted at `Tabanovce'. The objective of this venture was to avoid customs control (i.e. duty) and other charges while transporting those cigarettes across the border - which is why charges are being pressed against all 9 members, and the two customs officers are to be charged with abuse of professional rank and authority.For now 3 members of the band and those 2 officials have been sentenced to 30 days imprisonment by legal authorities. MILS SUPPLEMENT[13] `Slow But Certain Defrosting'(`Vecher' - 23rd December 1996)Citizens with frozen hard currency savings in a bank will be able to use them to receive medical treatment abroad, for the supply of medicines and medical aids only available abroad and for education out of the country.Hard currency savings of a maximum of 1 000 DM can furthermore be used (another category introduced this year) for cases of deceased Macedonian citizens who passed away abroad (place of residence and work). This week the Parliament of Macedonia is expected to pass the Law on Changing and Complementing the Existing Law on the Guarantee on Hard Currency Savings Deposited in the Republic of Macedonia, which had been enacted in May 1993 and which expires towards the close of this year. This act of law will practically extend the payment of hard currency savings of citizens for purposes outlined and accepted up to now, i.e. throughout the past four years. This means that citizens may obtain their hard currency savings to meet existential demands: weddings, cases of death within the family, for the settling of financial obligations i.e. debts / long-term loans towards banks, for medical treatment and the procurement of medicines and medical aids, for paying university study fees (participation) in the country, for paying VAT on real estate and options, for customs and import tax, for paying proscribed charges upon transforming internal shares into ordinary ones and for the purchase of domestic currency deposits transferred to the Bank Sanation Agency. This will actually affect 783 388 clients whose hard currency savings throughout banks of the Republic total 1 229.3 million DM (in May 1993 when the first law on these deposits was passed this sum amounted to 1 580.0 million DM). To be more precise, from May 1993 onwards to October this year a total of 136.7 million DM has been paid for statutory purposes. Or a balance reduction by 163.2 million DM - i.e. an overall reduction of 299.9 million DM has been conducted. A SURVEY of hard currency savings in banks on 31.10.1996 # Bank # of clients total in hard currency savings 1. Stopanska Banka A.D. 182 768 311 879 889.89 2. Komercijalna Banka A.D. 159 455 163 234 204.33 3. Intern. Trade Bank 208 362 317 932 319.39 4. Makedonska Banka A.D. 30 601 104 895 495.57 5. Ohridska Banka A.D. (OH) 34 433 77 977 086.30 6. Stopanska Banka A.D. (BT) 52 334 98 351 127.84 7. Pelagoniska Banka A.D. (PP) 23 613 27 257 459.70 8. Tetovska Banka A.D. (TE) 24 464 41 368 740.38 9. Zemjodelska Banka A.D. 5 591 3 304 130.76 10. Comm. Investm. B. A.D. (KU) 25 788 27 814 271.83 11. Export & Credit B. D.E. (BT) 23 196 27 814 271.83 12. Invest Banka A.D. 5 604 2 500 552.78 13. Export & Credit Bank 7 179 3 472 254.69NB. If no reference is given in brackets, the bank is in Skopje. The largest balance reduction of 77.8 million DM has been achieved through the purchase of shares and bonds of nationally-owned companies, then through the purchase of business premises (by 49.7 million DM), through the purchase of internal shares (by 21.7 million DM), and through withdrawing of denar deposits i.e. transfers to the Bank Sanation Agency (by 6.5 million DM). The balance reduction of frozen hard currency savings for customs payment amounts to 6.4 million DM, and for purchase of real estate and the extension of options: 1 million DM. A SURVEY of the structure of hard currency savings on 31.10.1996
Height of deposit # of clients condition of savings (in DM)
to 100 DM 527 674 10 070 135.55
101 - 200 DM 57 562 8 175 539.81
201 - 500 DM 56 330 18 011 945.83
501 - 1 000 DM 37 118 26 420 400.84
1 001 - 5 000 DM 64 318 147 872 787.55
5 001 - 10 000 DM 17 689 122 709 656.99
10 001 - 50 000 DM 17 999 384 074 904.14
50 001 - 100 000 DM 2 990 202 356 310.40
100 001- 500 000 DM 1 674 283 007 857.61
500 001-1 000 000 DM 31 20 951 203.15
over 1 000 000 DM 3 5 704 074.25
TOTAL : 783 388 1 229 354 816.12
Citizens may also use their hard currency savings to buy flats which are
nationally-owned; so far 258.3 million DM have been used for this purpose,
which is conducive to the conclusion that the overall reduction in hard
currency savings (based on what has been withdrawn) amounts to
558,2 million DM.
The total sum of deposited hard currency savings of 1 229.3 million DM includes yields in interests of 207 million DM, i.e. 90 million DM in interest yields have been generated throughout 1993, 58.6 million throughout 1994, etc. The figures for `94 and ‘95 are below the one of 1993 - which is due to the fall in interest rates and the inclusion of interest tax. This year alone the reduction of hard currency savings amounts to 112.4 million DM. Of this the major share falls off to the purchase of shares and stocks of companies undergoing transformation (44.5 million DM), this is followed by legally guaranteed payments to clients (30.2 million DM), by the purchase of nationally-owned flats (15 million DM) and for the purchase of business premises (10.1 million DM). As far as future payments are concerned the Budget has allocated a total of 960 million denars for next year ( in comparison to this year's 705 million denars, of which 573.2 million denars have been paid till 5th this month). Besides this, means for this purpose are also to be procured by the selling of shares and stocks of nationally-owned companies undergoing transformation, by selling nationally-owned business premises and buildings and by selling nationally-owned flats. Things, however, indicate that the Budget will remain the basic source of funds for next year, as larger cash influx is not to be expected by the selling of nationally-owned flats since most of them have already been sold. Selling shares and stocks will generate a rather unpredictable amount of revenues to be reallocated to pay out hard currency deposits, for the Law on Transformation of Enterprises (Article 93) also lists other beneficiaries of these means. Otherwise, clients will be paid upon submitting the necessary documents. (end)mils news 24 December 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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