Hoti accuses Government, mentions four remarks about Workers' Day

Former Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti on International Workers' Day has accused the Kosovo government of doing nothing for workers, citing four points here.

According to Hotit Government did not raise salaries despite inflation in the country, the law on wages under it only created problems, the law on minimum wage was pronounced.

Full response:

1. Salaries did not rise in the year with the highest inflation in the past 15 years, rather. Based on the budget report for 2022, the total expenses for salaries of 85 thousand public sector workers (which are 1/4 of the workers at the country level) suffered a decline of 3% compared to the previous year.
2. The public sector wage law created more problems than it resolved. This law created uncertainty after significantly lowering wages in independent institutions and rare trade professions (information technology experts, different engineers and so forth). Because his approval was postponed for no reason, it was too late to be budgeted regularly in the 2023 budget. Due to the lack of consultations with trade unions, many employees remained dissatisfied and the law ended in the Constitutional Court.
3. The law on the minimum wage, which would impact the rise of low wages in the private sector, was adopted in the first reading in the Assembly a year ago. It has since been completely forgotten, even though this law constituted the main reform of the ruling left majority.
4. On the other hand, without any consideration for the economic situation, (i) taxes on property for many citizens and businesses doubled, and (ii) electricity twice increased. Despite subsidies being assisted by energy - saving families and helping businesses during 2022, the macroeconomic effect is ultimately the same because citizen taxes are being used for these subsidies. Such taxes could go for other public goods much more necessary, such as education and health.