Fight between the Union and the Ministry for Lost Hours Reward

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MASHT) and the United Trade Union for Education, Science and Culture (SBASHK) in Kosovo are failing to find common solutions for compensation of missing lessons hours during the teacher strike, which lasted three weeks.

Ministers of Education, Science and Technology in the Government of Kosovo have decided that missing classes during the teacher strike would compensate, but with this decision the SBASK is not compatible. Valmir Gashi, political adviser to Education Minister Shyqiri Bytyqi, tells Radio Free Europe that the Ministry's decision is in line with students' interest in order to recover the damage caused to them by strikes.

He says the decision to replace the hours has been made in co-ordination with municipal education directors, and that their suggestions have also been put in place.

There is no legal provision preventing the replacement of hours lost during the strike, even the decision has been made in full accordance with the administrative direction for the 2018/2019” school year calendar, Gashi says. Teachers started the strike on January 14th, which lasted for three weeks with a demand for a 30 - percent salary cofficiency. The strike was interrupted after the agreement with the responsible institutions, that the new Law on Pays would bring their request.

The new wage law has been adopted in the Kosovo Assembly in February. Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has not decreed the law, but given the Kosovo Constitution, the Law comes into force even without the president's signing.

The chairman of the United Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture, Nundman Jasharaj, tells Radio Free Europe that the decision to compensate for the lost hours of the Ministry of Education is unilateral and contrary to the Law on Strikes and the collective education contract in Kosovo.

“August has had to communicate with us and discuss the matter of replacement and decision not to be unilateral. We have reacted that the Law on Strikes does not force employees in any sectors on strike to compensate for hours. The strike is legal right and we didn't want the strike, but they insisted that we carry out with dialogue our demands and we went on strike. Also, during the strike, teachers have been to their workplace”, says Jasharaj.

He says it's an SBASK decision that lost hours and days will not be replaced. But who, according to him, if most of the employees in education decide to keep the hours, we will support them, but if the opposite happens, Jasharaj adds, it is their right to be guaranteed by the Law on Strikes.

Meanwhile, Valmir Gashi, political adviser to Education Minister Shyqi Bytyqi, says that despite SBASK's objections, the decision must be implemented.

The decision is to be implemented and we expect it to be implemented despite the SBASK statements”, Gashi says.

On the other hand, education affairs experts have raised concerns that failure to submit the education process for three weeks results in failure to meet the curriculum and damage to the education process and that the compensation of hours will have to be done.

However, Jasharaj from the SBASK, says there can be no major damage to the education process.

“Plan-education program may be slightly violated, but it cannot be talked about a complete failure of the school year or plans -- programmes that teachers have planned”, Jasharaj says.

Under the August decision lost days of learning in pre-university education institutions will first be replaced by five days taken from spring break in April this year, five days on Saturday will be replaced during the 2018/2019 school year, and five days will be extended for this school year.