Oil workers from the Ballsh Plant in Fier have told the government that they will go on hunger strike unless their wages are paid.
Employees of the Poçem substation have been protesting for days over claims that they have not received their salary for six months. They say that problems started in 2013 when the plant was privatized.
One of those protesting told Fax News:
“Today, if we do not get an answer we will go on a hunger strike. While we have not received any response, our decision is extreme- the hunger strike. I hope we get a quick solution for this community that is always regular in terms of taxation, the state should be alert to this. We are a community of 35,000 people like Mallakastra who depend on this plant. We didn’t have any problems before 2013 when it was privatized, only then did we start to face such problems.”
Protesters claim they have tried to get assistance from the Minister of Energy, Speaker of Parliament Gramoz Ruci, and Edi Rama but have not had any reaction. They are demanding back payment of wages and the resumption of their jobs.
Employee representatives are due to meet with the company at 14:00 today and if a solution is not found, the hunger strike will start at 14:30.
