|
The
Number
of
Social
Security
Beneficiaries
Rapidly
Increases
Reality
Macedonia
(Jul
13,
2004) (By
VEST) -
In
the
past
year
the
number
of
households,
who
receive
social
security
payments
has
increased
by
almost
3000.
Last
year
in
May,
61.700
households
were
receiving
benefits,
while
the
same
month
this
year
total
of
64.832
households
are
on
the
list.
Ministry
of
Labour
states
that
majority
of
the
new
beneficiaries
are
people
who
have
lost
their
jobs.
They
come
from
the
Bureau
for
Employment
after
the
legal
period
for
reimbursement
of
their
payments
expires.
"After
workers
become
redundant
labor,
they
go
to
Bureau
of
Employment,
where
they
receive
payments
for
3
to
14
months
with
reference
to
their
experience
and
how
long
they
worked.
After
this
period
expires,
they
transfer
to
our
social
security
system,"
said
Natasha
Petrovska,
the
manager
of
the
Social
Security
sector
in
the
Ministry
of
Labor.
"There
was
a
great
influx
of
workers
in
Makedonska
Kamenica
and
Probishtip
area
when
the
mines
closed.
We
also
had
a
big
flow
of
unemployed
workers
in
Veles
when
the
local
factory
[of
porcelain]
"Porcelanka"
was
closed.
This
will
also
happen
if
"Maslodajna"
-
the
local
factory
for
oil,
butter
and
margarine
-
in
Veles
closes
down,"
explains
Petrovska.
The
Ministry
of
Labour
claims
that
they
do
not
know
the
exact
data
on
how
many
new
social
beneficiaries
have
come
from
the
Bureau
of
Employment.
They
also
explain
that
the
number
of
people
who
are
employed
but
also
apply
for
social
security
is
not
to
be
disregarded.
One
part
of
the
newly
registered
social
security
beneficiaries
are
employees,
who
are
formally
employed
but
have
not
received
their
wages
for
few
months.
In
this
case
they
submit
endorsements
from
their
employers
stating
this
and
they
apply
for
social
security
payments.
The
Ministry
estimates
that
by
the
end
of
the
year
there
will
be
65.000
social
security
beneficiary
households.
"We
expect
the
number
to
rise
at
the
beginning
of
winter.
Season
work
finishes
then
and
people
usually
have
no
income,"
said
Petrovska.
The
social
security
payment
depends
on
how
big
a
family
is.
A
family
of
one
member
receives
1700
denars
monthly,
family
with
two
members
receives
2200
denars
and
a
three-member
family
is
entitled
to
2800
denars
monthly.
If
a
family
has
4
members
they
receive
3600,
but
if
they
have
four
or
more
family
members
then
they
receive
the
maximum
limit
of
4200
denars.
Two
years
ago
the
Minister
of
Labour
Jovan
Manasievski,
cleared
the
list
from
families
that
received
social
security
and
reduced
their
number
for
even
16.000.
After
this
he
introduced
the
electricity
bills
as
part
of
the
requirement
for
receiving
social
security,
but
he
also
increased
the
checking
and
control
on
the
field.
Constitutional
Court
abolished
this
rule
last
year
as
well
as
the
proposal
from
Ministry
of
Labour
for
cease
of
social
security
payments
after
few
years.
Households
currently
receive
100
per
cent
of
the
payment
in
the
first
2
years
of
the
benefit,
which
goes
down
to
70
per
cent
in
the
following
four
years,
while
after
6
years
they
are
only
entitled
to
50
per
cent.
(R.F.)
Reality
Macedonia
Partial
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