The female oil workers from the Ballsh refinery, currently on hunger strike, have entered the 20th day with no food.
Their condition is described as aggravated and their health is deteriorating. They maintain that they will not end the strike until they receive a guarantee from the government that their demands will be met. They are protesting against unpaid salaries and are demanding to start work again.
“We are determined, we have nothing. We are waiting for the Prime Minister to give us what belongs to us,” they told the media.
Despite advice from doctors to stop the strike, they remain adamant that they will only stop once their demands are met.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has refused to give in to their demands and said that they must stop the strike in order to sit in talks. He said that the government will not be pressured by anyone.
The women have refused and asked for a date and time for talks to commence as well as guarantees their demands will be met. They also said they expect concrete solutions from the Prime Minister, not statuses on social media.
The Ballsh refinery was mismanaged for years by various different companies. The workers claim that the refinery has been abandoned by the current owners despite promising to pay wages.
