TIRANA, Oct. 17, 2022 – The new academic year at public universities in Albania has started with a partial strike at some institutions and regular operations in others, an indication that the union had failed to gather all academic workers under its banner to pressure the government for its demand of a high increase in salaries.
The University Employees Union warned two days ago that it would escalate its protests because there has been no official response to its demands of at least 50 percent increase in salaries and several other concessions.
The union has officially rejected the government’s proposal for a 15 percent salary increase, with only 7 percent coming from the government and the rest from universities’ own funds.
However, government pressure against the union meant that the University of Medicine and the University of Agriculture broke ranks and refused to join the protest, to temporarily shut down the start of the academic year, local media reported.
Education Minister Evis Kushi had ignored the union protest and issued a statement congratulating students on starting their new year.
The union says it has made the demands since 2019, while their situation is getting worse and worse, so much so that currently lecturers are only paid 5 euros for an hour of lecture and their salaries and funds for scientific research are much lower compared to Kosovo and North Macedonia and incomparably lower to the countries of the European Union.
The government encouraged the universities to use their autonomy to increase their income and funds through international projects and applications, getting more money through their concrete scientific work.
But Ilir Alimehmeti, a university professor and medical doctor, says the autonomy is on paper only, with the government deciding the salary and funding levels. He added increasing salaries would make a long-term investment in public Albanian higher education.
“What you pay is what you get,” Alihmehmeti said. “We have had professors with great potential that have simply left over low wages. We have to keep an eye on the product. If we don’t offer something better for our youths we will continue to have young people leaving the country.”
The academic workers called the latest increase insufficient and said that they are asking the government to increase their basic salaries in accordance with scientific titles and seniority, but they cannot do this salary increase with the students’ money, which should be returned to them as university services.
Representatives say wages have not increased since 2005 and are now less than half the regional average. They want their salaries to at least be comparable to Kosovo’s wages.
For example, associate professors in Kosovo make about 1400 euros per month, while their counterparts in Albania make about 821 euros a month after taxes, with many academic workers making much less.
