The government of Kosovo refuses to pay the salaries of the striking teachers

Photo: MIA

The government of Kosovo is determined not to pay the September salaries to employees in preschools and primary and secondary schools who, organized by the United Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture (SBASHK), have been on strike for more than a month, the MIA correspondent reported. from Pristina.

The spokesman of Albin Kurti's Government, Prparim Krieziu, told the "Gazeta Express" portal that within the legally stipulated period, until the fifth day from the beginning of the month, salaries were paid for the employees in the public sector, but not for those who were on strike.

- For the month of September, salaries in the public sector have been realized for the officials who went to work and performed their tasks and obligations. The monthly salary is compensation for work. In cases of strikes, that issue is regulated by the Law on Strikes, Krieziu said.

Today, the head of the parliamentary group of the ruling party, Movement for Self-Determination (VV), Mimosa Kusari-Lila, after the session of the parliamentary presidency, stated that the law does not provide compensation for the strikers for the days they do not work.

- The strike law provides for workers, either in the public or the private sector. those who are part of a declared strike, according to the rules provided by law, are not compensated for the days they are not at work, said Kusari-Lila.

The head of the parliamentary group of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Abeljard Tahiri informed today that a request for an interpellation has been submitted to the Parliament for the Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati, due to his behavior in relation to the strike of educational workers.

Tahiri announced that, if the salaries of the education employees are not paid by October 5, the PDK will file a criminal complaint against Murati.

In Kosovo's schools, classes for this academic year started today, after more than a month of strike with a request for compensation of 100 euros until the adoption of the salary law, which is in the process of being drafted.

The Union of Independent Trade Unions of Kosovo announced yesterday that the education strike, which began on August 25, is being suspended until January 2023, but that it is not giving up demands for compensation for teaching staff.

The president of the strike board, Rahman Jasharaj, who is also the leader of the SBASHK, stated at a press conference yesterday that the majority of the members of the Union declared for the end of the strike and the start of classes.

Jasharaj said he hoped there would be no need to extend the strike in January and that the government would meet their demand for compensation for education workers until the adoption of the new wage law, which is still under preparation.

According to the head of the education union, in the past five weeks, he got the impression that "Kurti's government needed the strike so that the citizens of Kosovo would not ask him questions about other matters".

- Instead of optimistic messages, the Government gave statements full of insults and disparagements, as if it wanted to encourage the strikers to continue the strike as much as possible. To those who insulted us - let them serve with honor, said Jasharaj.

The request for compensation of 100 euros is persistently rejected by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who accuses the SBASHK of being manipulated by the opposition in order to overthrow him from power.

In the educational union, which is part of the Union of Independent Trade Unions, among others, over 25 thousand educators, teachers and teachers from preschool, primary and secondary schools in Kosovo are members.

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