In the protest they held on Thursday where they demanded the salaries for the work done during the month of October and which they have not yet received, the employees of radio and television of Kosovo warned that next Monday they will hold a one-hour strike.
“This is our 3rd protest for this year and unfortunately nothing has changed from last time, the situation in RTK has worsened while the institutions continue to be silent over 700 families of our employees in RTK are facing daily problems with survival, pressure from banks, difficulties to pay energy bills, daily anxiety about the future, this is no longer an economic crisis, it is an identity crisis. Do not involve RTK workers in political battles, we are not part of any party, we are workers, we demand what is due to us by law, until today we have only heard statements, but no concrete action, that is why we make a public appeal to the Prime Minister in office, Kurti, to act like last time and enable the immediate resolution of the situation. The strike will start from Monday in all Radio and Television of Kosovo, the strike will start from 11:00 to 12:00. We ask RTK colleagues not to work on anything from this hour. There are colleagues of ours who can’t come to work because they don’t have finances and without finances they can’t even move, they come from Mitrovica, from Gjilan, from all over Kosovo…. There has never been a worse situation on RTK television“, said Gëzim Bimbashi
“I make a public appeal to employers, institutions, the Government, the Prime Minister in office to listen to this… In democracy, it is often said that let them speak, but true democracy is when the worker’s voice is heard, when his concerns are heard and when his demand for rights is heard and respected. Today we don’t ask for luxury or privileges today we ask for what is right today we ask for the pay for the work we do“, said the Envoy
“I’m saying it’s good that the money was found for students, it’s good that the money was found for pensioners in this way it had to be found for RTK and their 700 workers. Not finding their means shows that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance have the anger they did to us in September… Asking for a salary is not a privilege, it is not a prayer to live. Without a salary, it is difficult for a worker from here to face such high prices, you good priests, the SBASHK will always be with you“, he said.
The employees of the Public Broadcaster of Kosovo have not yet received their salaries for the work done last month, since the parliamentary committee for the budget has not been established to approve the preparation of the second part of the RTK annual budget. While in August, the government in office approved the television’s request for a short-term liquidity loan in the amount of 2.5 million euros, which has not yet been repaid, the acting minister of finance, Hekuran Murati, said a few days ago that the executive could not intervene again and that the responsibility for the budget of the public broadcaster belonged to the Assembly.
Journalist: Elda Pepa
