Ballsh oil workers protested on July 24 in front of the Mallakastra municipality, as they have not yet received wages for their work in the refineries.
They have called on Prime Minister Edi Rama and Minister of Infrastructure Belinda Balluku to intervene because the company who has yet to pay their wages is no longer the refinery’s administering firm. The new company that has replaced it has refused to take responsibility for paying the workers’ wages.
Concerned oil workers have protested that they cannot work for companies that get switched out every 6 months and do not pay them wages.
In February 2020, oil workers went on hunger strike over their late wages. They agreed to return to work when it was announced that a new company would take over the administration of the oil refinery and that their wages would be paid.
The Ballsh oil refinery has been plagued by mismanagement for years, even as it’s part of one of the key sectors of the country’s economy. Financial analysts told VOA that companies registered in tax shelters take the refinery under management, fail to pay taxes and wages, and then flee, leaving behind an even larger deficit.
