Azem: Kosovo minimum wage couldn't cover a person's basic needs

Kosovo Private Sector Unions Chairman Yusuf Azemi has declared that the situation of workers in the private sector is alarming, as with the average salary of 350 to 370 euros cannot be covered even the basic needs of one person, much less of a family.

He stressed that, according to international norms, a worker's salary should cover the needs of four family members, which in Kosovo does not happen.

Azem warned that many workers are being forced to face affordable costs, especially the beginning of the school year and the arrival of winter.

We have an extremely serious situation here because if we take the average salary of public-private companies we call, their salary is about 350 to 370 euros. At such cost, at this cost, I now have the winter season, and the lesson season has begun, imagine what you can do with a salary of 370 euros, where, according to international norms, a salary of a worker has to cover the demands of four family members, who at this salary they are receiving cannot cover the demands of a person. We know how we're living, we know how we're going away”, Azemi said.

He added that there are still workers in Kosovo who are paid under the minimum wage, though it has entered into force.

Azem also raised concerns about the failure of the Labour Inspectorate, saying that fines often serve companies to benefit at the expense of workers.

He has stressed that even in public institutions, such as Pristina University, about 400 workers continue to be paid under the minimum wage set by law.

I think there's some connection between power and private companies and institutions. We personally applied for the Labour Inspectorate to go verify the situation at Pristina University when about 400 workers are paid under the minimum wage. Ours was to put the job inspectors on the table, and they still haven't answered us. On the other hand, there are times when job inspectors go and prove that no minimum wage wage has been made, that company, for example, inspectors can deal with company owners. He gets a conviction, he gives the company 500,500,000 euros, and with that sentence of 1,000 euros, more than 400 workers lose about 100 euros per month each worker, which means companies in those cases benefit hundreds of thousands of euros within the year for what is not yet realized in terms even for the Labour Inspectorate to make these visits”, he said.

The union head stressed that any salary below 800 euros is insufficient for a normal life in Kosovo.

For the moment I think, but all that remains under 800 euros is something that can't be managed, it's very normal that expenses have gone too much, too much. We are the state in the region with the lowest minimum wage and we are with the slightest supervision of the labour law and other laws that have to do, that unfortunately we are at the bottom of the well at the moment with everything, with the lack of collective agreement, lack of a minimum wage we are saying solid, because we with these minimum salaries have not asked for luxury but have asked to survive”, he said.. /Periscopi/