SUNASKU warns general strike if no Bill on Pays does not change

The United Education Union (SBASHK) has warned general strikes of education workers at the start of the new school year 2018/2019, unless the list of teachers in the Bill's wage bill is changed.

The union calls this Bill unacceptable and offensive to them and has demanded that the Public Administration Ministry, as sponsor of the Bill, not allow teachers to remain in the current ranking.

In the Committee Bill, which is still in public hearing, educators have been praised with cofficiency 1.95, until much higher than political advisers, doctors, members of the Municipal Assembly, and many other professionals have been praised. The financial manager at the Education Union, Ymer Ymer, told Radio Kosovo that they have expressed their concerns to the Minister of Education and Public Administration.

He said that if this ranking, which he calls degrading, does not change, union action will be taken, not starting the learning process at the start of the new school year.

“We have given our proposals for the rank of teachers in the country well-deserved in the wage Law ranking table. We've let them know that if this law eventually goes into this form, syndical action is expected in September, and it's very real that it doesn't even start teaching at all, unless the positions of the SBASK, which are very reasonable”, has declared Ymer.

The union has demanded that the Public Administration Ministry, as sponsor of the bill, not allow the teachers to remain in the current ranking. Ymer said Minister Mahir Jagcillar has expressed readiness that he will discuss the issue with the prime minister as well, to implement union requirements.

We've requested that teachers of elementary learning at least have 2.5, middle education 2.7, and special school 2.6. We have requested that middle-school teachers be classified in the category of expert doctors, while primary education teachers are classified in the category of general doctors”, Ymer said.

Meanwhile, the Bill on Salaries is still under public discussion, where meetings and debates with interested parties are under way. At one of these meetings, Public Administration Minister Mahir Jagcillar has said this bill aims to establish a system of equality in transparency salaries and fair decision making for the entire public administration sector.

The “in view that there is a centralised system of wage realisation, the legal system and procedures is not unique. Now the technical part and legal infrastructure should be made, because there is no legal basis for salaries”, Minister Jagcillar said.

The Education Union has indicated that even in the government's time, Mustafa has rejected this bill, viewing it as derogatory to employees in the education sector, too low rankings in the professional ranking table based on coeffients.

After the Union's response, the bill had not been submitted to Parliament and that dialogue had begun for change. The SBASK, in co-operation with the Ministry of Education, has made concrete proposals. Meanwhile, even in the current version of the Parliament for Salaries, Kosovo education workers have again been ranked low.