SKOPJE, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian government has decided to increase the salaries of military personnel by 10 percent, local media reported Wednesday.
According to ministers of defense and finance, Radmila Sekerinska and Dragan Tevdovski, Macedonian Army (ARM) personnel will get a higher salary starting from Jan. 1, 2018 when such decision will take effect. The current wage for ordinary soldiers is about 300 U.S. dollars.
Sekerinska told reporters that the rise came after several negotiations with the finance ministry, while she pointed that such salary rise was necessary because the army servicemen had long felt neglected and forgotten.
"Both the government and the finance ministry want to correct the injustice and to improve the working conditions in premises of the Macedonian Army. By doing so, Macedonia shows it is committed to joining NATO," Sekerinska noted.
She made the statement while visiting the Stip-based barracks together with finance minister Tevdovski.
