SBASK warns strike unless there is dialogue with August by September

Among the main requirements of the SBASK are negotiating and signing the new collective contract, increasing the value of the cofficiency, as well as implementing the Constitutional Court's decision to compensate for the work experience, along with other issues related to the rights and conditions of education workers.

SBASK Deputy Chairman Vjollca Shala has said of Kosova Preis, that if until September 20th no dialogue starts with August, the union will call the Steering Council to review the situation and can take union action, including the strike.

When we talk about the teachers' case and the SBASK requests, we've previously held an extraordinary convention, the ninth congress. A decision has been made at the congress as the top SBASK body that if until September 20th doesn't start dialogue with the Ministry of Education, then the board of directors will be meeting as the highest body of the SBASK in the middle of two conventions and will analyse the situation and then be able to go about syndical action by not excluding the” strike, Shala says.

While citing the main demands of the SBASK, Shala points to a 55-euro salary increase as symbolic as the price hike.

The SBSF requirements are... negotiating and signing the new collective contract. It is also a requirement to raise the value of the cofficient. It has already been two years since the value of the cofficiency in the salary law has not been raised even in spite of rising inflation. We have an increase in the rate of cofficiency, which is a 55-euro rise, which is very symbolic in terms of the price erection of basic life products. There is also the application of the Constitutional Court's decision, where by July 2024 such a Constitutional Court decision on the experience of work for the first 15 years, which is being paid by 0.5 percent, and the court's decision is to pay 0.5 percent”, the potencon Shala.

Shala emphasises that the SBASK has submitted a civic legislative initiative to amend the State-funded pension scheme law. This initiative, she says, aims for years of teaching years during the 19901999 period, which are currently not counted as contributing years, to be recognised as such.

Likewise, Shala cites the difficult working conditions in Kosovo schools, stressing the lack of digitalisation in many of them, unlike neighbouring states where this process has progressed further.

SBASK Vice President Vjollca Shala says that since 2022 there have been no productive meetings with the Ministry of Education and especially with Minister Nagavci.

“With the Ministry of Education, and in particular with Minister Nagavci since 2022, we have had a meeting when he was deputy head of the US Teachers Union, even that a separate 15-minute meeting, without the possibility of presenting the demands of education workers. And we had a date the day the protest was held... Otherwise, for demands we constantly make to sit down and co-operate in order to solve problems and requirements that education workers have, we from 2022 have not had such a meeting”, Shala relates.

Among other things, Shala also speaks of the way students undervention of textbooks, which she says has not been appropriate for the past two years. She estimates that more effective and cheaper was the way the books provided beforehand for students.

It's been seen in the past two years that it hasn't been the right way, because students probably haven't been equipped with textbooks for months. Much better was the way they were secured and cheaper... There have been times when such subsidization was done in the family, given that we have poor families, perhaps such families have taken the money they have met for the purchase of books for their children. But such a thing, having a lack of even basic products for living, or means of living. The student, however, has probably spent the entire year without books”, potentially Shala.

The SBASK has held its latest protest on December 4th, 2024, demanding salary increases and contract signing.. /Periscopi/