Civil servants tomorrow hold one hour strike, require salary increases

About 23 thousand civil servants are expected tomorrow to go on strike one hour from 10:00 to 11:00.

These administration workers are demanding increased cofficiency through the Law for Salaries, as well as recognition of the experience of civil servants during the 1990-99s.

They warn that unless responsible institutions reflect, they will also enter a general strike.

The representative of the Gravist Council of civil servants, Ali Sefaj, in an interview for KosovoPress said they are demanding that through this law be treated equal to workers from other sectors.

He says they do not want to paralyse the state, but they seek reflection on their demands.

The aim of the strike is a small warning measure of union character for central institutions to meet minimally the two requirements that civil servants have. Civil servants demand salary levels with other sectors, we have a promised increase, but we don't have it written and given as an offer, and we have the stabilities of civil servants who have worked in the 1990s who have politically left the job relationship, and today they don't enjoy the right to retirement for lack two three, five months, or a year of work experience. We've demanded that the cofficiency grow and be equivalent to other institutions and other sectors. We understand the budgetary opportunities the state has, but we seek reflection, we don't want to paralyse or block the state, but we think the state soldiers are public administration and the state should reflect their demands on budgetary options “, Sefay said.

According to him, without taking the government-written offer, the offer in which their demands are included they will not back away from the warned strike.

Sefaj has stated that the demands of civil servants have been addressed to the Commission for Public Administration, the Ministry of Public Administration, and the Government of Kosovo.

We've had positive confirmations from certain groups, but we haven't had written, without a document, signed these can be good intentions or any other character, but it's not enough evidence for the union to suspend the strike...0421 if the government gets out tonight with the document to sign the agreement on the offer they proposed. It's an increase of cofficients as they've envisioned it for other sectors, if that's going to be done we're going to reflect and suspend the strike, if we don't have strike deals tomorrow, the co-chairman of the Greek Council of Administration Workers said.

Speaking of the conditions civil servants work with, Sefaj indicated that this category of work is carried out under difficult conditions, and that they are not treated dignifiedly.

Civil servants in Kosovo work under very difficult conditions. First, the workplace where they work in most institutions doesn't meet the minimum conditions, the air is polluted, the environments are inappropriate, the labor tools, the risk, the failure to pay qualifications, the travel, the amount that you should meet on the basis of collective agreement, and much if you take and see civil servants are the most oppressed category and not treated at the dignified level that it deserves<1>, Sefaj said.

With similar demands, an hour-long strike today has held the Pristina municipality's civilian servants.

Sefaj also spoke of the strike, which offered support to the capital's officials.

“Greva has responded massively to most of the workers. The Pristina municipality has a special specificity, let's not forget it's the capital, services in the capital take most of Kosovo citizens because most work in central institutions, these are in charge. The Assembly must find its way through this law or draft the law for the municipality of Pristina and recognise its higher salaries or additional charities, because the volume of jobs in the Pristina municipality is very high“, he has said of Kosovas Press.

Tomorrow's one-hour strike of civil servants has also been attached to Kosovo's Independent Trade Union of Forestry, Agriculture, Wood, Environment and Hunting ( SPPBIDMGJK).

We remember that the education sector has entered today in the third week of the strike, the teachers are demanding increased cofficiency. Meanwhile, the government has warned that the law on salaries will be voted on the same day as the budget, which as the date this vote could occur, is mentioned on January 31st. /