Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti recalled the workers’ strike from 35 years ago, describing it as the largest workers’ strike in Kosovo, which had two main demands: the reinstatement of Albanian workers who had been dismissed in violation of international conventions, and the uninterrupted functioning of the Assembly and the Government of Kosovo.
“Today, we remember the great workers’ strike of Kosovo from 35 years ago, held on September 3, 1990. On that Monday, thousands of workers, students, and citizens from across Kosovo responded to the call of the Independent Trade Unions of Kosovo (BSPK) and went on strike, suspending work and all social activities in Kosovo for a day. The strike had two demands: the reinstatement of Albanian workers dismissed in violation of international conventions, and the uninterrupted operation of the Assembly and the Government of Kosovo. This strike took place two months after the Constitutional Declaration of July 2, 1990, on the first day of the new school year, and four days before the proclamation of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo in Kaçanik,” Kurti wrote in remembrance of that day.
He further noted that during that year, the Serbian security authorities had poisoned over 7,000 students in Kosovo.
“That same year, the Serbian regime reduced the number of Albanian students in schools, opening only one-third of available seats for them. Some 15,000 Albanian workers had already been dismissed, and over 100,000 more were to be dismissed in the following months. In the subsequent year, an additional 130,000 Albanian workers in the public sector would also be dismissed,” he added.
Kurti also mentioned that in July 1990, Serbia adopted the “Law on Labor Relations in Special Circumstances,” which allowed directors and senior officials of organizations or enterprises to impose disciplinary measures on workers without following proper procedures or commissions, including dismissal.
“The September 3, 1990 strike was one of the most massive civic actions and one of the most sophisticated political acts of resistance by the Albanians of Kosovo against the apartheid regime imposed by Serbia in Kosovo. This resistance culminated in the spring of 1999 with Serbia’s genocidal acts against the Albanian population in Kosovo. By remembering the resistance of Kosovo Albanians across generations, we honor their long struggle for freedom,” wrote Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
