TIRANA, October 17 – The new university academic year started in Albania on Monday with some of the lecturers boycotting the auditoriums demanding a salary increase. The teachers of the University of Tirana have been protesting for a long time, as they did not agree with the 7% increase proposed by the government. Their demand is 30 percent rise.
They have announced that at 10:00 to 12:00 in the morning they will gather to boycott the lesson as a sign of protest for the non-fulfillment of their demands.
Chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), Sali Berisha told the media that the cynical and arrogant attitudes of the government have caused the teachers’ union to boycott classes. Berisha said that the government’s recent decisions aimed at the extinction of universities.
“Today the country’s universities were on strike and I want to warmly greet all those lecturers, university employees and students who responded to the calls of their unions to launch a powerful strike which has the main objective of realizing the legal demands of the union of universities,” he said.
Berisha noted that lecturers, university employees and students are not looking for anything other than what their colleagues in Pristina enjoy today.
“Salaries are approximately twice as high at the University of Pristina as compared with the University of Tirana,” said Berisha, who reiterated the appeal for a massive wave of protests against the government of PM Edi Rama without setting any exact date. /Argumentum.al
