Kurti: They are using the strike in Kosovo education as a weapon against me

Albin Kurti
Albin Kurti / Photo: EPA-EFE / VALDRIN XHEMAJ

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti says that the strike in Kosovo education, organized by the United Union for Education, Science and Culture of Kosovo (SBAŠK), is being used by the opposition against him personally as prime minister.

In today's address at the session of the Assembly of Kosovo, where the strike in educational and other public institutions is discussed, due to which the new school year has not yet started in almost all primary and secondary schools in the country, Kurti said that from the speeches of the deputies of opposition parties, it can be clearly seen that they are not for improving the condition of the teaching staff, but for overthrowing the prime minister.

- At the core of all this is the chronic non-acceptance of the results (of the last parliamentary elections) from February 14 last year. It is a problem, but I have nothing to do, the people voted. They are troubled by the fact that I am the prime minister, not by the fact that students do not go to school. That is the main trouble, the strike is being used as a weapon against the prime minister, said Kurti.

He also noted that the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Kosovo (BSPK) announced the strike on August 17, that is, at the moment when he traveled to Brussels, for a meeting with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic.

- On August 17, a general strike was announced while I traveled to Brussels that day to talk with the Serbian president for five hours tomorrow. On the 17th, the main news in Kosovo was the start of the strike. So you have the Prime Minister negotiating with our aggressive and malevolent northern neighbor at a time when a massive BSPK strike has been announced at home, Kurti said.

The educational and other unions from the public sector started a strike on August 25, with a request for an allowance of 100 euros to the employees' salaries, until the adoption of the new salary law. Kurti and the government have stubbornly refused to comply with that demand and have instead brought in a social package that will, among other things, pay public sector workers a 50-euro bonus over the next three months. However, the SBASHK does not deviate from its demands, so schools continue to remain closed.

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