The minimum union basket in June comes to 68,654 denars for a family of four - or nearly 84,000 denars if you add rent for 60 square metres. The average net wage in Macedonia is below 49,000 denars. Every other figure is just arithmetic.

The basket dropped by 88 denars compared to May. That is bad news dressed up as good: the cut is minimal, and it does not mean life got cheaper - it means seasonal swings shaved a little off the food line.

For food alone, a family needs 25,120 denars a month. Utilities add another 6,379 denars. Clothing and footwear - another 6,500. These are the raw numbers of a decent life, according to the union federation. A decent life in Macedonia costs far more than the average worker earns.

This is not a statistic to read and forget. It is a number with a concrete reality behind it: families counting the minutes to the next paycheck, weighing meat by the gram, choosing between the electricity bill and shoes for a child. The collapse in Macedonia is not dramatic - it is quiet and everyday.