Thousands of teachers rallied in Pristina on December 5 to demand that the government meet with them to resolve longstanding poor work conditions and unfair compensation. For more than two years, Kosovo’s Ministry of Education has refused to meet with Kosovo teachers’ union SBASHK or implement a long-delayed collective agreement that will improve working conditions and provide a dignified pay raise.
“By opposing a collective contract, [the minister] is also opposing education workers. When there is no dialogue, there is no democracy,” said SBASHK President Rrahman Jasharaj.
Three collective contracts that were signed previously were never fully implemented. The most recent, signed in 2021, was invalidated by the Ministry of Education in November 2022 with a promise of new negotiations, which have yet to materialize.
Teachers gathered at the Education Ministry to present a raft of demands, which included that the government recognize the sacredness of teachers’ work in educating future generations and meet with them. Teachers subsequently moved the rally to the Kosovo Assembly to further advocate for education workers and the children under their care.
The government’s refusal to meet with them, say teachers, is a cynical dismissal of their sacrifices in keeping children in school during the bloody Kosovo war and the COVID pandemic, even while they have helped support colleagues, schools, children and their families through the mental health struggles and economic challenges caused by both events.
During the 1998-1999 Kosovo war, SBASHK played a vital role in preserving education services. Today SBASHK advocates for better working conditions and fair salaries, safer schools and professional growth opportunities for teachers. A five-week 2022 teachers’ strike for a living wage in response to COVID pandemic and Ukraine war-related inflation earned teachers a significant salary increase that has yet to be implemented. Meanwhile, regional economic challenges continue to threaten teachers’ and their students’ well-being. Recent economic analysis of the West Balkans shows that inflation in 2022 had surged to a two-decade high, with food and energy prices skyrocketing and eroding the purchasing power of households.
“It’s unfortunate that education workers, who are among the most important in any society, have to resort to a protest to prompt their government to engage with them,” says Solidarity Center Southeastern Europe Country Program Director Steven McCloud.
“A fair collective agreement with teachers is essential for ensuring the highest quality of education for students,” he said.