municipalities in collapse, Kolektive contracts are destroying Kosovo development projects

Kolektive contracts are meant as a means to improve working conditions and protect workers' rights, but in many cases in Kosovo they are becoming a burden to institutions. Although signed at the central level, the obligations coming out of them are falling over municipalities, which are facing major financial difficulties. As a result, normal functioning of municipalities and development projects in many areas of the country are being damaged.

According to the chairman of the Kosovo Commission Association, Saban Ibrahimi, to date, more than 145m euros have been taken to municipalities for implementation of these contracts, including over 37m euros this year alone through judicial decisions. He said this situation is creating an extraordinary burden on municipal budgets, unable to realise capital investments and burden local institutions' finances.

By May of this year, the municipalities have received over 37m euros through judicial decisions. So far, the municipalities have received over 145m euros for the implementation of the Kolektive contracts. This amount poses an extremely heavy burden on municipal budgets, unable to implement many developmental projects and capital investments. Persistent taking of means to implement collective invasives, in particular adding to the cost for completion processes is already being considered a financial bloodshed for municipalities. He said.

Ibrahimi points out that no matter what the problem is long known, the central level has not yet taken sufficient steps to resolve it, so this is making the state of municipalities difficult and, as a result, citizens will suffer from the failure of the projects.

Unfortunately, so far the central level has shown no real willingness to tackle this problem. As a result, many of the municipal mayors' pledges remain unfulfilled, while citizens will also suffer directly from the failure of vital projects related to infrastructure, education, health and public services in general.” he added to Frontonline, broadcast Periscope.

Ekrem Kastrati, chairman of the Malisheva municipality, says the situation in the municipality is extremely difficult, as they are losing a lot because the budget is being spent without planning, while projects are failing.

“Comuna is losing significantly because budget spending is taking place without budget planning and projects that we have planned from all budget categories are failing as a result of collective contract payments, private finishers' payments” said, respectively.

Mehmet Ballage, chairman of Elez's Council of Israel, stresses that municipalities are suffering major losses because of the supplementary materials associated with the collective contract.

According to him, much of the means to be passed on to educators is ending up with private finishers.

We have many particularly final consequences because some of the amount of these tools that should be obtained collective contracts in this case the educators receive their end. Suppose a month and a half of a month's completion takes about a third of the means the teachers were supposed to receive. ” ] said Ballage.

Suhareka Mayor Bali Muarremaj has said the contract for the collective contract is causing major losses for the municipality he runs. According to him, so far this amount has reached about 8.5m to 9m euros.

So far its figure has reached approximately 8.5 million euros, last year 4.5 million, in 2023 1.5 million, even this year have received 1.1 and sent documents for 1.5 million.”

Muharremaj points out that this is creating difficulties, especially in relation to contractors, and adds that the responsibility is not for mayors.

For us, the “is huge losses because the budget for this year passed last year in September we have planned the project for this year so it is a problem with contracting payments. We have to do the work that we've seen for this year. The responsibility is not of the mayors, since this contract is between the government and the unions, but the damages are too big” he concluded. /Periscope