Former employees of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior (MUP) yesterday staged protest in front of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija in North Mitrovica and crossing Jarinje requesting solution of their status, and said that they will welcome Vučić, whose visit is expected in coming days, either with applause or protests.

Rajko Šekularac, the coordinator of a group of former MUP employees who protested said that Serbian Constitution was violated by their early retirement, on the basis of the Serbian Government’s regulation that followed the signing of the Brussels Agreement.

“From that reason we request that our legal-employment status is settled exclusively in line with the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Serbia, and that all MUP employees who don’t wish to go to early retirement are enabled to return to MUP and work on the territory of Serbia proper,” said Šekularac, and added that they have forwarded their request to the Serbian prime minister and European institutions seeking their assistance in finding solution to it since they, in a way, contributed to situation that they lost their jobs. He further said that Serbian prime minister is due to visit Mitrovica in coming days and that if their request is fulfilled they will welcome him with the applause, in the contrary they will welcome him with protests.

He further said that the main reason behind the protest is that special MUP working group that was formed in April this year with the goal to settle the issues of early retired MUP employees from Kosovo, did not manage to prepare any draft law yet, even though the employees themselves have forwarded their proposal, in behalf of around 800 of them, that would meet their requests.

Serbian Government regulation that provided early retirement to MUP employees from Kosovo sets a rule that prevents change of place of residence for those enjoying early retirement, otherwise they would lose the right to early retirement, what is against the international conventions, former MUP employees claim.