20 thousand civil service workers warn strike

About 20 thousand civil service workers in Kosovo are expected to strike at the end of January, unless the requirements for salary increases are met, according to the principle, the same salary for the same position.

This was told to Radio Kosovo Mursel Zymberi, the head of the Kosovo Civil Service Union, who added that these workers are the only ones whose basic salary is around 340 euros.

The end of January could strike about 20,000 civil service employees in Kosovo if their salaries are not levelled with other working sectors, Civil Service Union in Kosovo Chairman Mursel Zymberi said.

According to him, civil servants are the only ones who have never increased their basic salaries, following the increase in wages in other sectors.

If you want to notice the division among public servants, favouring, this will in no way be tolerated by civil servants, and I have a lot of pressure from all sectors, whether municipal level or even ministries, to start with union measures, strikes and protests. I'm a follower of the use of social dialogue, but I believe it's over. We are waiting for the Government's decision on how to classify us”, Zymber said.

Zymberi says the employees of this sector have lower basic pay than the average salary in Kosovo.

A large number of civil servants, despite the preparation they have, depending on where they are employed, are still paid with a five-year cofficient or salary level 320-350 euros”, he says.

Therefore, Zymber says that if the wage bill is approved according to the current form, the state administration will be paralyzed.

If civil service goes on strike, I can say I'm going to be in total paralysis of the state, because civil service, or administration, works in all state institutions, administration also functions in education, health, trial and prosecution, and in government and municipality. And that means what the consequence will be. I, as union chairman, have constant demands that at any cost we take initiative and seize the legal right given to us by the union law and the law on strikes to start with strikes. ”

Civil service workers in Kosovo have never been involved in the increase in basic wage since 2008, while currently they are paid around 400 euros, until some of this pay is received as temporary additional.