The Trade Union of Civil Engineering, Industry and Planning of North Macedonia (SGIP) held its 7th Congress on 20 June in Skopje. The event brought together shop stewards, workplace activists, and guests from sister unions in Croatia and Serbia, as well as representatives of the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM). The congress coincided with the 90th anniversary of SSM, a milestone rooted in the organisation of the first strike by construction workers in the country. The occasion was further marked by the screening of a video highlighting SGIP’s 90 years of trade union work and achievements.

YOL-IS President, Ramazan Agar, and Tom Deleu, European Federation of Building and Wood Workers (EFBWW) General Secretary, greeted the Congress participants with a video message. Ivan Peshevski was re-elected as SGIP President for another five-year mandate. Members of the Council, Executive Committee, and Supervisory Committee of SGIP were also elected, alongside the adoption of the union’s Statutes and Program of Work.

Reflecting on SGIP’s work over the past period, Peshevski highlighted the union’s continued commitment to protecting workers’ rights and improving conditions across the BWI sectors. He underlined SGIP’s sustained efforts to campaign for fair wages, strengthen occupational safety and health, combat informal employment and labour exploitation, and advocate for stronger legal protections for workers and greater government support for employment in construction. He also emphasised the union’s close cooperation with national and international partners in advancing decent work and social justice. Recognition was given to the vital contribution of women and youth, trade union activists, and shop-floor representatives, whose dedication and day-to-day engagement have been instrumental in carrying forward SGIP’s 90-year legacy of solidarity and ensuring the union remains a strong and effective voice for workers.

Peshevski said: “For nine decades, the Trade Union of Civil Engineering, Industry and Planning of Macedonia has existed, acted, and endured through different social, economic, and political systems. Times have changed, laws have changed, institutions and ownership structures have changed, but one thing has never changed: our purpose. That purpose is clear—to protect workers, advance labour rights, ensure safe and healthy working conditions, and secure decent wages for every person who earns a living through their work.
SGIP has been, and SGIP will remain, the voice of construction workers. It will remain the defender of workers. It will remain the guardian of workers’ dignity. It will remain a union that does not stay silent when workers are humiliated and does not retreat when justice is on their side.”

BWI Education Secretary Jasmin Redžepović congratulated the SGIP leadership on its achievements and praised it for carrying forward the legacy of the 1936 construction workers’ strike and for its resilience in defending workers’ rights through periods of political and economic change. He highlighted the union’s leadership in promoting decent wages, occupational safety and health, gender equality, and social justice, while paying special tribute to the commitment of SGIP’s women leaders, shop stewards, and workplace activists. He also congratulated North Macedonia on the ratification of ILO Convention No. 190 and recognised Ivana Dimitrova for her outstanding contribution to BWI’s international and European women’s work.

“As you celebrate the 90th anniversary of the first construction workers’ strike in your country’s labour movement, you honour a proud tradition of solidarity and collective action that continues to inspire workers today. You make us proud to stand alongside you in carrying this legacy forward. Despite challenges, you have continued to organise workers, defend collective bargaining, campaign for decent wages, and mobilise when workers’ rights were under attack. We also wish to commend SGIP’s unwavering commitment to occupational safety and health. Time and again, BWI has been able to count on you to strengthen our collective voice and our shared efforts in improving health and safety and defending workers’ rights across the region and around the world,” Redzepovic said.

Redžepović, on behalf of BWI, received an award of appreciation from SGIP recognising BWI’s long-standing support and contribution to the development of trade unions.