Professional soldiers strongly oppose the solution proposed by the Defence Ministry for their status after filling the age of 45. They warn protests on November 7th, seeking status solutions, continuing working until normal retirement, equal pension rights and wage increases. Professional soldiers say they are currently working on contracts at the time, and after retirement at 45, they are out of work.

Professional soldiers work for 25 years on short-term deals. I think we’re the only ones in the country who work with the right time deals and at 45 years of age, the day before our birthday, we’re out of work. This is not happening in any other NATO country. We’ll be first place. NATO, where the army will protest, said Aleksandar Naskovski chairman of the Independent Union of Professional Soldiers.

A day earlier, Minister Vlado Misilovski said he has reached agreement with members of the army on resolving this multi-year-old problem. According to him, the status of professional soldiers after retirement at the age of 45 will vary from military to civilian and will be able to choose whether they want to continue staying in the military or not.

This reform offers a new opportunity, it predicts that every professional soldier who turns 45 will get another opportunity that comes by law. Each soldier, when he turns 45, has the opportunity to choose whether he wants to receive a compensation for a break in the work contract, which roughly ranges from 30 to 40,000 euros, may leave at another institution in the state, but can stay in Army as well, said Vlado Middleovski, minister of defence.

The union disagrees with the solution offered by the minister. He says the soldiers involved in this solution have been manipulated.
The solution that Minister Misaylovski offers is not a legal solution. It does not offer a change of law, but by a provision already under law, it offers something that does not exist. It offers soldiers to switch to civilian persons, to security. There is no such thing in the military. They manipulate soldiers who will carry their salaries. It is not true because the law on insurance says insurance salaries are calculated according to other provisions, different from military persons. So these persons will have lower wages and worse conditions, Aleksandar Naskovski stressed, chairman of the Independent Union of Professional Soldiers.

According to the union, there are over 600 soldiers who have suffered from years of legal failure and who must be compensated for their loss. /Alsat/