Ten ministries pay 1.2m euros in salaries to Serbs without working a day

According to the general audience, this caused the country's budget to be damaged in value of 1m and 294 thousand and 222 euros, the Economic Bulletin submits.

The Economic Bulletin has investigated all reports of the General Auditor, the ministries that had this problem during 2018.

Their employment dates back to the Brussels Agreement and the Government's decision in 2015 to eliminate the so-called “Civil Protection” in northern Mitrovica, positioning Serbian officials at positions assigned to various ministries of the country.

The National Audition Office, in its audit for 2018, in many of the ministries found irregular wages and incompatible work. A total of ten ministries involved in the problem.

So in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, following an actual recruiting process, 32 employees of the Serb community, who were scheduled to be accommodated in municipalities in the northern part of Kosovo, were integrated.

For senior officials this minister has had no evidence to confirm their performance at the workplace, even though the same had made regular payment of their salaries. The financial value for wages expenses for 2018, for these 32 officials, was 134 thousand and 657 euros.

Spending wages worth 99,000 and 916 euros, for 20 other workers who have not followed regular work schedules had also been found at the Ministry of Public Administration.

Meanwhile, 22 Serbian community officials were integrated into the Ministry of Health, who had also not been submitted to the workplace at the Mitrovica Hospital, where they were designated by act of appointment, as imposed on the Labour Law and the labour contract, while the ministry had paid their salaries worth 97 thousand and 733 euros.

The ministry for Kthim and Community also integrated 21 of this community's employees, paying them the value of 100,000 and 430 euros even though the same had not carried out services to this ministry defined in their contracts.

Spending wages worth 139 thousand and 711 euros, the Ministry of Trade and Industry dedicated 26 of its employees, who had not followed the regular working schedule at the ministry.

According to the Auditor's findings, despite Government efforts to create working conditions for this community, the goal of their integration has not been achieved after an attack on objects where work should begin, as well as other threats continued.

Therefore, because of the safety of these workers, the Ministry was unable to engage the contracted staff, as it had been in the Ministry of Public Administration.

The irregular wages during 2018 had also been paid by the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, paying a total of 29 employees of the Serb community from 38 were appointed.

In the act, however, the appointments of these employees were assigned only to positions but not to the workplace. The general audience has noted that for 29 of the 38 top officials, the ministry has no evidence to confirm their performance at the workplace, despite the fact that this minister had made regular payments for them worth 126 thousand and 242 euros.

Job-invisibility salaries have also continued at the Ministry of Infrastructure, where after a process of recruiting this ministry had integrated 32 Serbian officials into certain positions.

But, the ministry in question has not possessed any evidence confirming their performance or carrying out any of their responsibilities under the labour contract, although at the same time it has paid for them a total of 153 thousand and 554 euros.

Likewise, the Ministry of Labour and Social Management, under the Brussels Agreement, had named 30 members of the “Civil Protection”, but for 22 officials this minister had not offered any evidence such as whether they had come to work or reports of their work done during 2018, but has continued to pay their salaries to the value of 105 thousand and 124 euros.

At the Ministry of Management of Local Power following an act of recruiting process, 18 Serbian community officials were integrated, who were scheduled to be accommodated in municipalities in the northern part of Kosovo.

However, in their appointments, employees are arranged at certain positions within relevant departments at the ministry. For top officials, this minister, as well as other ministries, has presented no evidence to confirm their performance at the workplace. The financial value for wages expenses for 2018, for these 18 officials, was 81,156 euros.

The Ministry of Economic Development has also been obliged to employ 18 employees of the Serb community, but has also been obliged to make sure that work hours are being ignored by these officials. But neither has this minister had evidence of the realisation of jobs in line with the duties and responsibilities of these workers described in the contract, while their salaries have been paid from the ministry's budget of 92 thousand and 336 euros.

And neither has the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, which had positioned in its various departments, 31 members of illegal structures, damaging its budget for 163 thousand euros.

According to the National Auditor's Office, this situation has resulted from a lack of respect for the contract on the part of employees and also from insufficient efforts by the relevant ministries to engage them.

“No managerial checks have been implemented to ensure that all employees are present at the workplace during working hours as well as other reasons, including political circumstances”.

The audience finds that these unresponsible payments in all ministries cause damage to the state budget, as well as cause no agreement-defined targets to be achieved, namely, the integration of this community into the institutions systems of the Republic of Kosovo.

The general audience recommends to all ministers that they consider the reasons for their failure to continue at work and to resolve the problem of their regular involvement at work. On the contrary, it requires that they stop paying irregular wages.