Workers in Kosovo continue to be vulnerable

Accident cases at the workplace have increased, while the construction sector continues to remain the sector with the highest risk for work.

And to offer more security and health at work and roads, the number of inspectors was found to be hard-working to implement the collective contract, as well as to increase.

So it was said at the table organised under the platform of Kosovo that we want in the field “labor and dignified life”, KLGI and the FriedrichEbert Staiftung (FES) Foundation with the theme “Institute mechanisms for the protection of workers”.

Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Management Cherkin Dukoli said Kosovo has created good legislative grounds in terms of providing safer and sound work.

In addition to the commitment of responsible institutions, he said it is evident that collective contracts are not being implemented, and other legal additions are being made to the issue.

Dukoli stressed that in recent years workers' workplace accidents have increased, and the number of inspectors must increase.

We have licensed six legal persons and 60 physical people for safety and health at work, who exercise tasks related to security and labour health to employers, but this year the ministry, the labour inspectorate, has actually carried out three inspection campaigns mainly in the construction sector. Currently, the sector that presents the highest risk in the country is the construction industry followed by energy, trade services and other sectors. The number of inspectors in the last few years has not been proper or complete, but we are hoping that this number will actually increase and have an additional number of new inspectors”, Ducol said.

According to MPMS deputy minister, this institution is also working on reforming pension legislation.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Kosovo, Avni Aydin, has increased this year in number of those injured at work, and more must be done for it by responsible institutions.

According to him, the Labour Law and the Kolektive contract is not being implemented, though inspectors say otherwise.

I know these cases happen every corner in the world, but not like to us that a guy loses his life, not a laborer for two life-loss, that's not for that reason I'm saying it's a volume issue, but we have to work at all costs to ease it down, so we can turn this negative phenomenon down... The labor line has to be applied to or the inspectors say yes, not why I say no, the inspectors don't know when the contracts are actually being called by the law, but they're asking whether the workers are working for 12 hours, 12xh>

Faithful Mucaj from the Kosovar Institute for Local Governance has considered it is the last moment to empower institutional mechanisms to regulate and protect workers.

According to him, the state of Kosovo has not made all mechanisms available to respect the labour contract and safety at work.

We have close to 30 types of inspectors and a lack of communication or a standard of inspectors except that it harms work, fragments control work, and we think it interferes with business. A joint arrangement, a list of tasks, but also a structured communication between both levels, but even among all kinds of inspectors, I think it served a more dynamic process of permanent control. It will be impossible only job inspectors to complete all the work related to the establishment of order, contracts, or even labor safety for”, he said.

Otherwise, Kosovo we want is the common platform of civil societies and aims to promote all interest parties to work jointly to ensure that every citizen of Kosovo enjoys human rights, social security, economic development, good living conditions and jobs in a sound environment