Ballsh oil workers resumed protests in front of the refinery on Monday, demanding back wages. They warned that they would go on hunger strike if their demands were not met.
They resumed protests in Ballsh on 14 September. After not receiving a response to their demands from the government, they protested in front of the Ministry of Infrastructure on September 17, where they clashed with police.
The oil workers warned even then that if the company did not respond and the government did not intervene to resolve the situation, they could return to hunger strikes:
“Let’s go and settle inside the factory, to see if the state will come or not. “We are hundreds of families and they are not solving anything for us. Only a hunger strike can bring about a reaction.”
In February 2020, oil workers also went on hunger strike for arrears of wages but agreed to return to work when it was announced that a new company would take over the management of the refinery and that an opportunity would be found to pay the arrears.
The Ballsh oil refinery has been facing mismanagement problems for years, even though it is one of the key sectors of the country’s economy.
