The government paid 2m 869 thousand euros to soldiers for additional hours only during 2025

A total of 2 million and 869 thousand and 99 euros are owed the state only in 2025 to members of the Kosovo Security Force for the extra hours it has not paid. The National Auditor Office has presented concerns about the state of soldiers, who, according to the ZKA, some of them have been compensated for days of rest only for as much as “that the development of the KSF's operational activities is not affected/imped by”.

Moreover, when the Defence Ministry has applied for additional budget sharing to pay for soldiers' additional hours, the Ministry of Finance has not backed them.

The ministry has paid KSF members only for January 2025. Also, reparation on vacation days, during the year it has been made as long as the development of the KSF's operational activities is not affected. The ministry had consistently applied to the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers for additional budget sharing to meet obligations, but this requirement had not found support. Based on these requirements, it notes that the value of unpaid stewards for members of KSF for 2025 had reached 2,869,999 euros, and because of default, the process of lawsuits by KSF members to the ministry” had begun, the audience says in her findings.

DOECENT:

Salaries Law in Public Sector No. 08L-196 in Article 36 paragraph 1 stipulates that public officials and other categories of employees paid from the state budget benefit monetary or rest compensation for custody work, nightwork and overtime, weekend work, official holiday days.

The ministry, in response to the audience, has argued that “Drift-Rule for working schedules during 2025, even though it was drafted and finalised, has not been adopted due to legal restrictions because the minister is only on duty”.