Unionists: Government Kurti fired 400 private sector workers, cancel tender

Independent Private Sector Union (SPSPK) has rejected the decision of the Ministry of Labour and Social Management (MPMS) to cancel the new tender for maintenance and security, as 400 private sector workers have thus become unemployed.

Independent Private Sector Union Chairman(SPSP) Yusuf Azemi said that despite promises of the Kurti government that the minimum wage will increase, the opposite has occurred, as with the new tender it has offered gross wages of 200 euros.

He at a media conference has cited a host of private sector discontent and their demands for the government.

Among other things, he has asked Prime Minister Albin Kurti to accept private sector demands and sign the collective contract.

 The main concern at the moment is the removal of 400 private sector workers from the Ministry of Labour and Social Management, which some have been told no longer to start working, and some have been told they cannot go to the workplace. These workers worked at the MPMS offices at the municipal level, where they did maintenance of these facilities. These workers without their blame, on June 1st, are no longer on pay lists for jobs they've performed for 20 years. The loss of the job is the repeated technical tender, but also the new tender, which is set to carry out these services. With the new tender no more than 70 workers can be employed, and about 330 workers will remain on the streets without support. The Labour Minister, withdraw the tender because it is creating social cases on behalf of it that it is willing to preserve the Kosovo budget”, he said.

He posed a significant number of questions for Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

  While the Kurti Government promised us last year 350 euros, and this year's 250-euro salary and contributions to around 290 euros, we are informing them that MPMS has fallen to 170 euros' salary. This is the document where the Labour Ministry has put in tender the salaries of workers who perform services, 200 euros gross, which in fact amounts to 100 euros. We have enjoyed the changes when they promised, but these changes are favourable for Kosovo's private sector. Mr. Prime Minister, after many demands and statements, we are interested when you will sign the collective contract for the workers in general, and in particular the private sector, which has been trumpeted before the elections that the first step will be the signing of this” agreement, he said.

Azzam said the ministry has preceded mobile teams, which would cause the cleaning of objects to become more rare, which, according to him, does not and dares not be so because objects cannot be cleaned every day.

He also spoke of cases of job deaths, which he said were required to form a special fund.

 This year we have eight cases of death in the workplace and it's disturbing. You know that neither the Ministry of Labour nor the Inspectorate have the slightest problem with these cases. We wanted to get closer to these workers and have a special fund... Today we were informed that we have technical workers in the QKMF who for seven years are out of business. This is what the state has given them. 12:43. So far, for private sector workers, not that we have an advantage, rather, we have a degradation of the workforce in Kosovo”, Azemi said.

The head of the SPS said technical workers in educational institutions have also been discriminated against, as they have not received the additions of 100 euros, while speaking of 800 technical workers working at Camp Bonsteel in Ferizaj, who, as he said, have not received salaries for 20 years.