Hundreds of miners are protesting in front of the Prime Ministry building demanding a protected miners’ status, that has been promised for years, but remains stuck in parliament.
The miners, backed by labor unions, demand the parliament passes the status that protects and guarantees their rights, as their profession is one of the most dangerous.
The protesters claimed that they had spoken with the appropriate ministries and both sides had agreed on the contents of the status, however they have received no response regarding the delay of the parliament.
“It has been 27 years that we keep being mislead by both parties”, a miner stated, claiming that the miners’ status should have been granted the moment the political regime changed.
Since March 2017, the Ministry of Energy made it known that is working on drafting a special status for coal miners, following their request.
Some of the main requirements were an increase of the minimal wage to 700,000 lekë per month, retirement benefits for miners and their families in case of work injuries and accidents, pension increase and reduction of retirement age.
They also ask for the right to a free medical check-up, and in the case of professional illnesses, the state must provide free medical treatment.
At present the number of former and current workers in the mines is estimated to be around 8000. They are known to have the shortest lifespan when compared with other citizens, due to challenging conditions of working underground.
As a result of unsafe working conditions, in the few last months alone, seven miners have lost their lives and dozens more have been injured.
