Telekom workers get salaries

Kosovo Telecom employees have received salaries for July. After blocking and withdrawing tools from Z Furniture and unblocking of accounts with the intervention of the Government of Kosovo, the financial situation in this public enterprise was difficult.

However, the execution of wages has begun on 11th of August. This has been confirmed for Kosova Prees by Telekom Workers Union chairman Lamih Balaj.

According to him, wages have been completed with many difficulties and that workers have consistently sacrificed, acknowledging that their salaries will be lowered after they understand the situation and in order to recover Telekom.

Balaj said the contracts and harmful decisions of people who have led Telekom are paying workers, and that the same will not be allowed back to the top of this enterprise.

There's been enormous difficulties, and there'll be difficulties in wages, but I strongly believe the Government will help by investing. We as workers have made our contribution, we have reduced our salaries in succession, we have lowered them, only to recover Telekom, but we will no longer allow them in any way as workers who, people who have robbed Kosovo Telekom, people who have led Telekom, within Telekom, to sign harmful contracts, as they have signed, and to have the damage paid with workers' money. Now everything is clear, we have informed the minister (economics) and the prime minister that we will not allow extortioners who have been appointed to Kosovo Telecom and have signed harmful contracts to be once again part of management at Telekom”, Balaj said.

Balaj stated that the impasse was intentional by the private owner at Z Mobile's request. He has said it was done for the interests of different clans.

According to him, the withdrawal vehicles were dedicated to investment after Telekom remains in technical difficulties and would mark the first phase of the recovery.

“Dations are huge, i.e., vehicle withdrawal and the blocking of accounts has been intentional, damage is repairable because those tools have been dedicated to investing in Kosovo Telecom. It's the means that the Government has given to Telekom's first phase of recovery, and it's meant not to allow those tools to go into investment, because you know we're extremely bad with technique, we have huge loads because investments have not been done for six years in Telekom and it's all been prepared, it's been pulled up in the worst time for those tools not to be allowed to become investments in Telecom, maybe for the interests of different clans outside Telekom, and for Telekom to have even greater growth, and perhaps by establishing companies which entered the energy market, and why someone not buying a company's worth of credit, Balaj said.

Prime Minister Hoti vowed that no worker will lose his job, and that is what Balaj and Kosovo say about Kosovo, stressing that they will not allow that.

No, it doesn't really have everything working at the moment, even though it's hard because of the tools, but there are no workers who lost their jobs, but we won't let any jobs, workers at the Kosovo Telecom”, Balaj said.

Balaj said expectations from this government are great, as Prime Minister Hoti has publicly pledged. He has also stated that during this week there will be a union meeting, Economy Minister Blerim Kuci, as well as the board, and that he will be brought up with any action plan that would make solutions for Telekom.