KEK workers warn of strike: If demands are not met, Kosovo could be left in the dark

KEK workers protested today outside the corporation’s management and Board of Directors offices in Pristina, dissatisfied with their wages and working conditions. They announced that they would gather again in a week, at the same time and place, and did not rule out going on strike.

Xhelal Jashari, chairman of the KEK Workers’ Union, called on management to enter into talks with the union to resolve the workers’ problems one by one. He said the workers were tired of waiting for management and that their demands were not a plea for charity. He stressed that the strike warning was serious and that the workers wanted to go on strike.

Jashari said they would send a request for a meeting to Economy Minister Artane Rizvanolli today. He urged the workers to remain united, saying they could not achieve results without unity, and warned that if the meeting with the minister did not take place, all of Kosovo would be left in the dark.

Nexhmi Llumnica, vice-chairman of the KEK Workers’ Union, said the protest was a way to express their dissatisfaction. He referred to the reallocation of 120 million euros in budget funds, of which 30 million euros, he said, was being set aside for public enterprises. Llumnica objected to the money going to others rather than KEK.

Ali Gashi, chairman of the Independent Union of Kosovo’s Administration, said the KEK workers’ demands were justified. He said he had come not merely to express solidarity, but to speak up for their work and sacrifices, as well as the injustices they face every day.