European Trade Union Committee for Education

On Saturday, 8 September 2018, ETUCE member organisation, the Union of Education, Science and Culture of Kosovo (SBASHK), staged a warning strike to demand a pay rise for teachers in front of the buildings of the Government of Kosovo.

According to the education trade union, the government did not keep its promises to increase teachers’ and other education personnel’s salaries. The government had not adjusted the position of education personnel in the salary ranking which the Bill on Salaries in the public sector determines.

During the protest action Rrahman Jasharaj, SBASHK President, called upon the government officials stating that the Bill on Salaries should allocate teachers and other education personnel decent coefficients.

Expressing solidarity with SBASHK, Susan Flocken, ETUCE European Director, said “Decent pay is one of the main components of decent working conditions and important for the recognition and value given to the teaching profession. Governments need to understand that low salaries of teachers are among the main reasons for young graduates to choose a different profession than teaching and for teachers to leave the profession altogether, often leading to teacher shortages. ETUCE supports SBASHK in its action, convinced that the key to elaborating joint solutions for the current challenges in the education system lies in comprehensive negotiations among education social partners”.

ETUCE continues monitoring the situation.