Office work laws and bylaws
The normative and legal regulation of office and archival work in the Republic of North Macedonia is performed through the following legislation:
- The Law on Archive Material and the Law on Amendments to the Law on Archive Material;
- the Decree on Office and Archive Work;
- the Decree on Determining the Criteria for Longer Deadlines for the Use of Archival Material.
According to the Law on Archive Material (Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia (RM), No. 95 of 26 July 2012) and the Decree on Office and Archive Operations (Official Gazette of the RM, No. 1 of 3 January 2014), all entities in the country that create archival material of permanent value are obliged to record and store that material in accordance with legal regulations until its transfer to the State Archives of the Republic of Macedonia.
The Law on Archive Material regulates the protection, storage and use of archival material.
The Decree on Office and Archive Operations is based on the Law on Archive Material. According to the decree, the manner of work and the rules for handling documentary and archival material in offices and archives are regulated by the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia. In addition to office work, the Decree also covers archival work. Separating archival material from documentary material is therefore an important part of archival work. Other parts include archiving, arranging, recording, storing, protecting, using and handing over archival and documentary material in the archive. The Decree regulates the office and archive work of all state bodies, enterprises, and other legal entities, both authorised and unauthorised, ensuring the mandatory application of the rules for office and archive work in the Republic of Macedonia.
The processes of office and archival work complement each other, forming a single whole. The normative regulation of administrative work for all holders provides a more efficient system for the protection, storage and use of archival material. The issues arising from the novelties contained in the provisions of the Law on Archive Material are addressed, such as the receipt, opening and distribution of documents, their postponement, classification and valuation, and alternative ways of conducting office work and issuing and using documents for official purposes. The processes of archival work are also normatively elaborated, such as:
The manner of preparation and procedure for adoption of the Plan of Archival Signs and Lists of Archival and Documentary Material; filling in and application of the deadline stamp; arrangement, selection, recording and categorisation of archival material; manner and procedure of separation and destruction of documentary material; security measures for protection of archive material; and manner and procedure for handover of archive material for permanent storage.
The Archives of Macedonia have adopted the instructions on the manner and technique of handling documentary and archival material in office work on the basis of Article 40 of the Decree on Office and Archive Work. The manual provides more detailed regulations on the receipt, review, distribution, filing, submission, administrative and technical processing, sending, archiving and disposal of completed documents in the registry office. It also covers the selection, arrangement, recording and categorisation of archival material, as well as signing and destruction, the storage and protection of documentary and archival material in an appropriate space, the necessary equipment and technical means, and the transfer of archival material for permanent storage in the archive.
The provisions of the Guidelines apply to office and archive work carried out by state bodies, courts, local self-government units, the City of Skopje, enterprises, other legal entities, political parties, social organisations, citizens' associations and other holders.
The archive receives the archive material from the holders in the following cases:
- After the material's expiry date;
- In the event of the holder's termination of work (bankruptcy);
- At the holder's own request;
- If the holder does not objectively have the conditions necessary for storing the archive material, it can be deposited and handed over to the Archive.