Firefighters protest November 15

As a key requirement towards state institutions that even today the Fire Force Union has presented at a media conference are the leveling of municipal cofficients at the level, the level of risk of working with Kosovo Police, to compensate for night shifts, state holidays, religious holidays and overtime, to improve working conditions, to ensure equipment and tools for work.

The head of the Fire Union, Muharrem Beka, said that although three months have passed since they pledged their demands would be met, there is still no action in that direction by the relevant institutions.

According to him, there has been no co-ordination between the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Public Administration and the Ministry of Management of Local Power.

He said that because of the ignorance of institutions they are being forced to hold the protest on November 15th, as they have no other way out.

Beka has stated that they will intervene only in cases where human life is being questioned, not in other cases, however urgent, because firefighters face a lot of trouble and their lives may be endangered.

Emergency fire service workers for these protests and other union actions have also received support from the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Kosovo (BSPK).

BSPK Vice President Leonora Lokaj has considered the same legal provisions in our country to be implemented differently in the public sector.

Protest Council Chairman Zymri Krasniqi said that due to the government's failure to react to their plight, they are forced to appear in protests and hold strikes.

At this conference, firefighters warned they would not stop protests until the written agreement is reached to meet their demands.

Otherwise, firefighters in order to meet their demands had also protested on July 12th, and that at Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj's decision a government commission was established that would deal with improving the situation of these workers.