Serbian Minister Snežana Paunović’s statement that she would have carried out ethnic cleansing in Kosovo in Slobodan Milošević’s place has sparked widespread backlash and been described as scandalous.

Paunović was appointed a minister in the Serbian government in 2025. Before taking up the post, she was paid both as a member of parliament and as director of the Peja Pharmaceutical Institution in Kosovo.

However, the institution, headquartered in Goraždevac, has not officially been listed as active since 2021. Radio Free Europe found that it was closed on October 7, 2021, under a decision by the Serbian government.

Commenting on the case for “Bota Sot,” security expert Drizan Shala said the payments to Snežana Paunović raise serious questions about Serbia’s continued funding of parallel structures in Kosovo.

According to Shala, the continued payment of salaries to the heads of a closed institution may indicate that Belgrade is still financing parallel mechanisms with the aim of maintaining its influence in Kosovo.

“The case of Snežana Paunović cannot be treated merely as an administrative irregularity. It is a signal that adds to suspicions about how Serbia continues to finance its parallel structures in Kosovo, even though they may formally no longer exist,” Shala said.

He questioned how many other structures may continue to receive funds from the Serbian budget without having a clearly defined function, given that an institution officially closed in 2021 continued to generate salaries for its managers.

According to the expert, the issue is not solely related to the management of public funds. He considers it part of Belgrade’s state strategy to maintain parallel influence within Kosovo.

Shala recalled that, for more than two decades, Serbia has established and funded a network of parallel institutions, offices and mechanisms in Kosovo. According to him, the Kosovar authorities have identified some of them as platforms for political, logistical and operational influence in the north of the country.

“Developments in recent years, including armed attacks against Kosovo’s institutions and police, have shown that the networks established and supported by Belgrade have not played a merely administrative role. Kosovo’s authorities have stated that individuals linked to parallel structures have been involved in activities that threaten the constitutional order and public security. These allegations have been followed by investigations and legal measures against the suspects,” he said.

For this reason, Shala said the Paunović issue should not be treated as an isolated case, but as a possible indication that parallel networks continue to operate.

“Under these circumstances, the continued funding of a closed institution cannot be viewed as an isolated case. It raises suspicions that Serbian public funds may continue to sustain an active parallel network that is not limited to providing services but is used as a tool of political and security influence in Kosovo,” the expert said.

Shala called for a full audit and a transparent investigation into all funds that Serbia continues to allocate to its structures in Kosovo.

“The public has the right to know which institutions still receive funding, which individuals manage these funds, and whether the money serves civilian needs or supports mechanisms that challenge the constitutional order of the Republic of Kosovo,” he stressed.

In conclusion, Shala said transparency regarding the funding of parallel structures should be Serbia’s first step if it wishes to demonstrate a commitment to the “normalization of relations” and European standards.

“Every euro allocated outside lawful mechanisms and without accountability only increases mistrust, tensions and instability in the region,” he concluded.

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According to the FSRTK, the situation surrounding salaries is deeply concerning, as their delay beyond the deadline set by law is not merely an administrative or financial issue, but a direct violation of a fundamental labor right and the dignity of every worker.

In its letter, the Federation stresses that this is not an isolated incident. It recalls that just one month ago, on June 7, it was forced to organize protests for the same reason, believing that this reaction would serve as a serious signal to the responsible institutions and lead to concrete measures to prevent the situation from recurring. However, according to the Federation, the same violation has been repeated, demonstrating a lack of institutional responsibility and a failure to fulfill one of the most basic obligations toward workers.

The Trade Union Federation of Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), as the legitimate representative of the public broadcaster’s employees, is addressing you with deep concern regarding the situation created by the non-payment of RTK workers’ salaries, which, even on July 9, 2026, have still not been executed.

The failure to pay salaries within the legally prescribed deadline is not merely an administrative or financial problem, but a direct infringement of a fundamental labor right and the dignity of every worker. A salary is compensation earned through work, guaranteed by the legislation in force in the Republic of Kosovo and by international standards for the protection of workers’ rights.

This situation has become even more worrying because it is not an isolated case. Just one month ago, on June 7, the Trade Union Federation was forced to organize protests for the same reason. At that time, we believed our reaction would serve as a serious alarm for the responsible institutions and that concrete measures would be taken to prevent this situation from recurring. Unfortunately, today we are facing the same violation, which demonstrates a lack of institutional responsibility and failure in managing one of the most basic obligations toward workers.

The Trade Union Federation considers it unacceptable for the public broadcaster of the Republic of Kosovo to operate under conditions in which workers are forced to wait for their salaries without any clear deadline, without transparency, and without any official communication from the governing bodies. This situation undermines not only the well-being of workers and their families, but also damages trust in public institutions and threatens the normal functioning of RTK.

According to the letter, RTK’s Board and Management have also failed to exercise their responsibilities with transparency, professionalism and accountability. The Federation considers the lack of public information, the silence in the face of this situation and the failure to provide a concrete solution unacceptable and contrary to the standards of good governance that should characterize a public institution.

For this reason, we call on you, within your constitutional and institutional powers, to take the necessary actions to ensure an urgent resolution to this situation and to guarantee that RTK workers immediately receive their salaries.

At the same time, we ask that institutional accountability be ensured for the causes that led to this situation, and that measures be taken so that such cases do not recur in the future. No one should remain without responsibility when the fundamental rights of workers are violated and the functioning of the public broadcaster is put at risk.

The Federation has warned that if a solution is not found immediately, it will continue without hesitation with an escalation of union actions and the initiation of legal procedures before the competent institutions. According to it, all legal and trade union means guaranteed by law will be used to protect workers’ rights, while any consequences that may affect RTK’s functioning will be the full responsibility of the Board and Management.

In the end, the Federation stresses that RTK workers will not accept salary delays becoming standard practice. According to the Federation, they will not pay the price of institutional incapacity, negligence or mismanagement, as their dignity is not negotiable and respect for their rights cannot depend on financial or administrative circumstances.

The Trade Union Federation adds that it remains committed to dialogue and institutional cooperation, but at the same time says it is determined to defend, by every legal means, the interests of the workers it represents. It expects an immediate response and action from the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, in line with their responsibility to protect the constitutional order, legality and citizens’ rights.

The post RTK Union Writes to Kurti and Haxhiu: Salaries Have Not Been Paid, Immediate Institutional Response Sought appeared first on Albeu.com.

Do you know which jobs have the highest salaries? “Monitor” has compiled a ranking based on data published by INSTAT.

International institutions rank first, paying employees more than double the country’s average salary.

The average gross monthly salary for 2025 was 189 thousand lek, or nearly 2 thousand euros at today’s exchange rate. Compared with 2024, salaries were 4% higher.

Second place for the best pay goes to “Financial and Insurance Activities.” Working in banking or insurance has always been a preferred choice for those who graduated in economics.

On average, a bank employee earned 160 thousand lek per month in 2025, or 6.7% more than the previous year (+10.1 thousand lek). This was the highest salary increase in absolute value in 2025 across all activities.

“Information and Communication” recorded the highest salary increase in absolute value among all other activities. IT employees are now among the best paid in the country, with 127.4 thousand lek per month, 10 thousand lek more than a year earlier (+8.9%).

“Mining and Quarrying” is a difficult job, but it offers the fourth-highest level of pay in the country, at 109 thousand lek per month, although this was down by nearly 3% compared with 2024.

“Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities” is a sector that has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2025, it paid employees an average of 105 thousand lek per month (+8.7 thousand lek).

Public sector salaries rose rapidly over the last three years, as the government used this as a strategy to align wages with the region and to encourage the private sector. The average salary in “Public Administration and Defence” exceeded 100 thousand lek for the first time in 2025 (104.5 thousand lek), while in 2022 it was 72.5 thousand lek, marking a 44% increase in three years.

The “Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning Supply” activity had an average salary of 102.7 thousand lek in 2025 (+7 thousand lek). This sector is also indirectly linked to the state, as the biggest employers are public enterprises such as OSHEE and KESH.

In education, the average salary approached the 100 thousand lek level for the first time (99.3 thousand lek). Teachers’ salaries also rose rapidly over the last three years, following the policy applied to all state employees. In 2022, education paid an average of 70 thousand lek, or 30 thousand lek less than today.

Along the same lines, “Health and Other Social Work Activities” has also seen rapid growth over the last three years, but the average salary remains lower than that of teachers. In 2025, the average in this activity was 92 thousand lek, up from 68 thousand lek in 2022, an increase of 24 thousand lek.

Salaries for “Household Services” have also risen strongly in recent years. In 2014, this activity had an average salary of 29.5 thousand lek, equal to 65% of that year’s annual average (45.5 thousand lek).

In 2025, the average salary of household workers reached 77 thousand lek, or 91% of the average salary. The growing demand for this service, together with the formalization of workers, some of whom are foreigners, mainly Filipinos, has influenced this trend.

Among the activities that increased wages the most in 2025 were also real estate, as many real estate agencies have opened in recent years. In 2025, this activity paid an average of 84 thousand lek, or 8 thousand lek more than a year earlier (+10.7%). In construction, wages also rose by 12% in one year, to 69 thousand lek.

Salaries in Accommodation and Food Service Activities, although they are rising (+11.8%) as a result of demand for tourism workers, remain the lowest in the country apart from agriculture, at 56.4 thousand lek per month, compared with 55.5 thousand in agriculture./Monitor

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