Projections based on various macroeconomic factors say the minimum wage in North Macedonia will reach MKD 22,000 [357 euros] per month without any state intervention, according to Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi in a “Morning Briefing” TV interview Tuesday.

In the interview, Deputy PM Bytyqi welcomed the agreement reached on Monday to raise the minimum wage to MKD 18,000 [292 euros] per month, noting that the government aimed at creating mechanisms that would lift citizens above the poverty line. “In 2016,” he said, “the minimum wage was 38 percent of the average wage and now by making it 57 percent, we are sure it will never drop below this threshold of 57 percent.”

Only through dialogue, Bytyqi said, could a sustainable solution be reached. Commenting on VMRO-DPMNE’s demand to adjust public sector salaries accordingly, the deputy prime minister said the adjustment was already part of the legal solution and it would be done in line with Article 8.

“All wages should be aligned with the minimum wage. There is no division between the public and private sector. Laws are adopted based on parameters that should ensure justice and fairness,” Bytyqi said.