Struggle against the violation of workers’ rights and the exploitation can never be totally obfuscated by the nationalist rhetoric. Confronted with rapacious local politicians plundering for years the ex-workers property in Serbian southern Autonomous Province, the trade union of Kosovo postal and Telecom employees (PTK) organized an impressive rally in front of the provincial government and asked for the unblocking of the company’s bank account and payment of all outstanding wages. The unionist said they expected a government promise on safeguarding the company from the bankruptcy. Employees carried banners with inscriptions such as “We are not poor, we got robbed!”, “Mr. Public Prosecutor, do your job!” and “Our children need bread!”
One of the protesters, Fuad Hadxiu, said he came to the rally because he was not paid for the last two months. “I am deprived of my work and it’s our management and politicians’ mistake. They let the company go bankrupt and left us without salaries. At the same time we all have credits to be disbursed, which is impossible if we have no money left”.
President of the PTK trade union, Lamih Balaj, was resolute: workers would not go away until they saw their claims accepted – in spite of the anti-COVID-19 regulation forbidding mass gatherings. “Those who signed contracts that pushed our company into bankruptcy were appointed to their posts by the ruling party, which now has obligation to unblock our account and assume their responsibility. They should be ashamed of cashing their per diems without being ready to adopt a law on post and telecom, as they did in case of other public enterprises”. He concluded by saying that workers are “sick of politicians who steal and expect workers to pay for it”.
There are 2,300 employees in Telecom and 1,100 in the Post whose existence depends on the fate of these companies. In order to understand the extent of the possible catastrophe one should also take into account their family members and all the others whose companies survive by cooperating with the PTK.
The rally was not approved by the police but they did not intervene, as workers kept the prescribed distance. At the end of the today’s round, President Balaj confirmed the employees’ intention to go on with the protest until the full realization of their claims.
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