Kosovo civil servants, teachers on strike

The teachers are demanding higher pay because, according to their spokespeople, education salaries are the lowest in Kosovo.

“We told the government to raise all of our salaries by 30 percent or withdraw the law. The prime minister made an offer which we refused because it was less than what we demanded,” Teachers’ Union leader Rahman Jasaraj said.

The government offered a 10 percent pay raise, saying that the offer was made after a serious review of the budget but that fell short of the 30 percent the teachers were asking for.

Some health care professionals are also on strike, including heart surgeons and orthopaedic staff and civil servants staged an hour-long warning strike on Tuesday, demanding higher pay and threatening to allow a collapse of the administration.

The average salary in Kosovo is around 350 Euros.