The Trade Union of Radio Television of Kosovo Workers (SPERTK) addressed a public letter today to the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, requesting his urgent intervention to resolve the financial and institutional crisis affecting the country’s public broadcaster.

In the letter, signed by the union president, Gëzim Bimbashi, it is emphasized that over 700 RTK employees have gone unpaid, describing the situation as unbearable for both the workers and their families.

“This situation threatens not only the well-being of the employees but also the normal functioning of the public information service in the country,” the union’s letter states.

SPERTK is asking the acting Prime Minister to take concrete actions to allocate RTK’s budget and unblock the current situation, which, according to them, is the result of the lack of a functional Board and the vacancy in the position of General Director.

“The institution is without a functional Board, and management is being held by an acting director, which is not in accordance with the law on RTK,” the public letter reads.

The unionists also request that, through MPs and the relevant institutions, the government ensures an increase in the budget for salaries at RTK, as is happening in other public sectors.

At the end of the letter, the Trade Union of RTK Workers describes this request as “not only a union matter but also a human and institutional one,” appealing for immediate intervention to prevent, as they put it, “the collapse of an institution that serves all citizens of Kosovo.”

Yesterday, RTK employees protested in front of the public broadcaster’s building.

The Trade Union of Radio Television of Kosovo Workers (SPERTK) has warned that if salaries, including those for October, are not paid soon, RTK workers will proceed with general strikes and protests that could escalate.