Hoti for the strike in education: Reasonable union request after pay law is delayed

Former Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti criticises the government for lack of social dialogue with SBASK. While it says union demands are reasonable to meet, it called for the salary law to be processed as soon as possible.

In an interview for KosovoPress, Hoti, among other things, talks about the government's new package against inflation, which she considers is delayed and unacquacy.

Democratic League of Kosovo MP says it is completely affordable for the state budget to meet the SBASK requirement, worth 100 euros to wage law.

The lack of social dialogue has brought this situation... I believe this time is fully feasible for the fact that their demands are not too big. More importantly, budget revenues are good, mainly because of high inflation, increasing budget revenues from taxes, so it is completely affordable for the state budget to meet this requirement. The reasonable union requirement for the fact that the wage law has been delayed, for no reason yet... all that this government had to do is review eventually, discuss with relevant unions, with different interest groups and process this law in the” assembly, the former prime minister came in.

While regarding the new anti-inflation package, Hoti said it is delayed. According to him, the adequate measure to face these problems would be proportional wage increases, pensions, social assistance.

“Delayed and unadequate. Delayed because by the month of March we have called for opposition to take necessary measures since inflation has begun to rise, in the first summer months then in May, especially where inflation goes too high as in other countries, so this package is too late and it is unaccomplished. The adequate measure to face these problems would be proportional growth of salaries, pensions, social assistance, agricultural subsidies and other areas in line with the inflation rate. It has been four five months since families in Kosovo have lost their real income to 30-40% due to the increase in prices”, he said.

Meanwhile, in terms of implementation of the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia on license plates, for reciprocity, it says order and calm must be maintained through Kosovo institutions, respectively.

“We hope that actions with our international partners will be co-ordinated, listed and quiet in that part of Kosovo will never need KFOR engaged in that part. Order and calm are maintained and established through Kosovo institutions, the Kosovo Police and other supporting bodies”, Hoti said.

The former Kosovo prime minister also spoke of withdrawing savings of 30% from the Trust. He said government approach against withdrawal is wrong.

I've been against this idea first in principle, no action has been taken to help citizens at this time of crisis. They've been distributed from 100 euros per family to employed persons. It's a once-in-a-day aid and they make sense if it's a crisis like the time of the pandemic that people lose their jobs for a period of time, they're trapped, they're housebound because of COVID and you give them a once-in-a-life aid even after that period goes on, families get back to normal life. Inflation is not a single-time cost to families, but it's a constant cost, if you've given people 100 euros once, they don't even cover the extra cost of family spending a month, let it continue in the next months. I believe this approach is wrong and the consequences we're suffering from all of this”, Hoti said.