The last formal meeting between the United Union of Education, Science and Culture of Kosovo (SBASHK) and the Ministry of Education was held on December 3rd of last year. Since then, no dialogue has taken place, according to SBASHK’s Deputy Chair, Vjollca Shala, who voiced serious concern over the ministry’s inaction.
“SBASHK’s demands are well known. One of them is social dialogue — which is entirely absent between SBASHK and the Ministry. Another is the collective contract. We’ve submitted a draft, but nothing has moved forward. The last meeting was on December 3,” Shala told RTV21.
The Ministry of Education has not responded publicly to the accusations of neglecting dialogue with the union.
Historically, SBASHK’s dissatisfaction with the lack of social dialogue and unresolved issues like the collective contract has often led to union actions, including strikes. These actions have, in turn, negatively impacted students — particularly in the context of poor international test scores.
Former Deputy Minister of Education, Dukagjin Pupovci, stressed that repeated strikes cause long-term damage:
“It’s true — considering the current state of education and disappointing results in international assessments, this ultimately means students are losing valuable learning time. On the other hand, past experience has shown that such actions also harm education workers by building a negative narrative against such a noble profession,” Pupovci said.
While SBASHK has not officially confirmed any decision to start the 2025/2026 school year with strikes, the union states that dissatisfaction is widespread and unresolved — leaving the door open for possible union actions if their concerns continue to be ignored.
