The Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Mr. Skender Rećica, held today the closing conference of year 2018.
He first talked about the challenges and responsibilities of the year we are leaving behind such as in the field of labor relations, safety and health at work, inequitable treatment of people with disabilities, financing and sharing responsibilities for social and family services , as well as about state-funded pension schemes.
Mr. Reçica said that these challenges were addressed, mentioning the MLSW of the Sector Strategy and Action Plan, as well as the Youth Employment Plan, both of these strategic documents adopted this year in the Government, to further proceed with reforms in almost all fields.
“In the framework of the reforms we have undertaken during 2018, we have drafted the Draft Law on Labor, the Draft Law on Maternity and Parental Leave, the Draft Law on Labor Inspectorate, the Concept Document on Pension Reform, the Concept Document for the Social and Family Areas, and for disability, “the minister said.
These draft laws and conceptual documents foresee the regulation of a number of issues such as advancement of workers’ rights, meritorious treatment of mothers and for the first time the treatment of unemployed burials, proper treatment of pensioners, victims of sexual violence of war and persons with disabilities.
Speaking about the achievements of the year in the social field, the minister said that social assistance has increased for 20% and has increased the monthly payment for family shelter for children without care as well as for children with disabilities.
Achievements are also noted in the field of work as well as safety and health at work.
“During the year we are leaving, over 11,000 jobseekers have been treated, of which 6,659 are in employment and 4,957 in vocational training. The Law on Safety and Health at Work has been completed by sub-legal acts, in which 16 Directives have been transposed. 3 awareness-raising campaigns on Safety and Health at Work were carried out, while the Labor Inspectorate has carried out over 8,512 inspections, “the minister said.
He also mentioned the operational plan in the construction sector which started from October 2018 where the inspections were intensified and work was suspended for some sites that did not meet the safety and health at work.
In the field of pensions, Mr. Reçica pointed to the accomplishment of the functionalization of pension schemes: invalidity pension, family pension, pension for paraplegic and tetraplegic, the medical commission for assessing the degree of war invalids has been operational and has begun the compensation of victims of sexual violence of the last war in Kosovo.
“This year we signed the first agreements in the history of the Republic of Kosovo for social security, the agreement with the Swiss Confederation and the Kingdom of Belgium, both ratified in the Assembly of Kosovo this year”, said the Minister.
The Minister said that MLSW in 2018 fulfilled 100% of the measures and activities envisaged in the documents for the European Agenda.
For 2019, the main objectives and priorities under the minister Mr. Reçica are the finalization of the reforms launched in 2018, the extension of employment services and active labor market measures, the increase of the level of safety and health at work, the prevention of injury cases at work, fighting informality in labor relations, empowering the role of labor inspectorate and social security arrangements.