The reason for the growing number of part-time employments lies in the fact that after the expiration of the agreed term, the employer should not resign, but simply does not extend the employee's contract. In contrast, when it comes to an indefinite contract, the procedure is more complicated and the employer must prove the reason for the dismissal in court. Angel Dimitrov, president of the Organization of Employers, told "Free Press" that there is a need to shorten the terms of fixed-term employment contracts. According to Dimitrov, such an agreement is illogical, and employers justify that the dismissal procedure is very long and complex. The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia has been advocating for a long time to legally limit fixed-term employment contracts to a maximum of 1 year, followed by their automatic transformation for an indefinite period.

- Legally, fixed-term employment contracts are concluded when there is an increased volume of work for a short period, and not for easier dismissal of the employee. Those agreements were used for easier cancellation and this was evident at this time of the coronary crisis. The right of the employer not to extend the contract for a definite period of time is guaranteed and there are court proceedings where it is not considered a dismissal. - explains Dimitrov.

According to Article 46 of the Law on Labor Relations, the employment contract may be concluded for a definite period of time for performing the same activities, with or without interruption. until 5. In addition to this, employment based on a fixed-term employment contract, in addition to the employment contract for seasonal work, is transformed into an employment relationship for an indefinite period of time. Paragraph 4 of the same article states that, as an exception, an employment relationship based on a fixed-term employment contract may be transformed into an employment relationship for an indefinite period of time before the expiration of the 5-year period, if the employee works for more than 2 years released on the basis of retirement or other grounds and for which financial resources are provided, if the employer determines that there is a permanent need for the employee, under conditions and in a manner determined by law.

According to previous research, by 2003, before the introduction of "labor market flexibility", only 3,7 percent of employees were hired through part-time contracts. Since then, the numbers of such contracts have been growing steadily, reaching 57,3 percent last year. According to the data of the Employment Agency, from January 1 to December 31, 2020, a total of 174.240 applications for employment were registered - M1 forms, of which 42,7 percent (74.345) were employed on a permanent basis, and 57,3 percent (99.895) registered applications for fixed-term and seasonal work. From January 1 to March 31 this year, 46.660 people were employed, of which 27.043 were based on fixed-term employment and seasonal work.

- This topic has "two sides of the coin". Employers who start a company go into debt, there is great uncertainty in terms of job security, demand and placement, and therefore it is easier for them to negotiate part-time workers. On the other hand, workers who have such contracts are constantly on the lookout for their future, and their job position also has a great impact on financial stability - they are risk-averse creditworthy - adds Dimitrov.

Textiles are often fired when they are on time

Apart from SSM, the non-governmental organizations are also demanding a change in the legal solution and point out that these employees are the ones who lose their jobs the easiest. Then they are practically on the street, without the right to any compensation and without court protection. The association "Glasen Tekstilec" has been warning for a long time that the employers are increasingly transforming the contracts from indefinite to fixed-term contracts, with an appeal to the employees to report them to the Labor Inspectorate. It is concluded that the expiration of the fixed-term contract is the most common reason for termination of employment in the textile industry in the last five years, and only last year the termination of employment on this basis increased by 128 percent.

According to the data of the Employment Agency, out of a total of 18.174 people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic (from March 11 last year to the end of January this year), almost 42 percent had expired employment contracts.

In accordance with the Law on Employment and Insurance in Case of Unemployment until January 31 this year, 6.664 unemployed persons were registered, beneficiaries of the right to monetary compensation in case of unemployment.