“Three-week strike”, Jashaw warning for Government

Union of Independent Unions of Kosovo (BSPK), Independent Private Sector Union (SPSPK), United Education, Science and Culture Union ( The SBAAK and the Independent Trade Union of Kosovo Administration (SPAK) are asking the Government to dialogue with them, as they assess that co-operation helps draft laws and solve problems.

At and Hykoli, chairman of the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Kosovo (BSPK), says the executive should open the doors to trade unions until he has warned of union actions.

The “Unions have so far been solidified with Ovidius, and now the end has come, and the Government has to open the doors to make dialogue with trade unions, so that it doesn't go into syndical action, and we're looking at the situation and we're probably going to act in union form”.

That union-government co-operation is seeing it important, since according to Hycol, trade unions are important assets for the state.

“The government must have dialogue with trade unions, unions are very important assets of the state and can help many governments in their work on Laws, but also in the form of work”.

But the prime minister is not standing up to his promises he had given him before he came to the helm of the executive, says Private Sector Union Chairman Yusuf Azemi.

Azemi says they have not expected the government to be so fair to them, until it claims that from next week they will begin with strikes and protests at KKMF hospitals.

We are very active in meeting requirements, ours is to fulfill our obligations, we are talking about private sector workers, because we will wait on Sunday and Sunday after elections, we are organised, and we will follow protests and strikes. We think that maybe as of next week we will begin with strikes through hospitals, ambulances, as the Kosovo government is not fulfilling a promise. It's a very serious situation, since I haven't expected that this government would be so equal to private sector workers, however, it is in its honour”.

We can understand that sometimes we can't be at the right level, but don't sit down in solving the problem if it lets you know from my angle that the Government of Kosovo has made a decision not to address any problems”.

“We have met several times with the prime minister before he comes to the prime minister, and his promises have been that co-operation with trade unions will be the priority, and he is not making it”.

The first of SBASK, Nundman Jasharaj, says that if the government continues with this behaviour, then the three-week strike in education will turn.

The government has to change access to unions, because we're in cooperation with them and we're trying not to have mass protests for the sake of the situation. I'm sure that if it goes on like this with the administration of government, with no meeting with trade unions, especially about the Law on Salaries and other issues, then I'm afraid, that three-week strike will return to education, and we don't want it”.

So to escape all bad opportunities, the Government has to sit down with trade unions and see what the fate of the Law of Salaries is, and if there are other budgetary requirements, we understand them, so leaving the dialogue with us has created this situation that gets worse, and such protests can be even more massive, but the worst of the protests is whether the health or education system, is blocked in whole by possible attacks<x1.

However, Jasharaj is a high estimate of co-operation with the education ministry.

I've talked to other trade unions and I'm only talking about the SBASK, and we've sent many letters to the prime minister, Minister Murati's, but we've never received positive answers, but with the Ministry of Education we have genuine cooperation, but there is no budgetary capacity to meet our demands”

Disturbing the Government's approach to trade unions is seeing, Ali Gashi, who is chairman of the Independent Union of Kosovo Administration (SPAK).

He said the government is behaving, as if they were opposed and not partners like in many countries. He is urgently seeing the Law's approval of the wages, which he says would result in injustice.

This is pathetic, after you know that this government has come with the promise of change, but that change cannot be seen. Sindical discontent is on the rise, taking into account the last phenomenon involved in price hikes. Our goal is to advance the issue of legislation dealing with employees in Kosovo. The wage law does not regulate individual issues, but regulates the entire spectrum of employees, at the level of Kosovo, and concludes the injustice that has occurred so far and we are not demanding drop, but we are demanding law”, he said.

“We are not opponents, but we are social partners of government and this is the beginning and if the government doesn't reflect then we will start implementing the other union measures. I can't understand the government's position, and the government's closure in relation to trade unions is a concern because unions around the world are partners of governments”. / EO