Only 55% of the intended beneficiaries of the “war salary” have been approved and received financial assistance from the government, Monitor magazine reports.
The “war salary” consists of three packages of financial aid to help those who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, some 95,000 individuals have received it while the rest have been left without. The fund was originally designed to pay out to 176,000 people in Albania.
Reasons for people not qualifying for assistance include issues with the deadlines on when employment was terminated. The government stated that anyone who lost their job prior to 10 April can benefit from the aid. The problem is that many businesses fired employees after 10 April as they realized they could not continue to operate.
Issues have also arisen from employers not applying on behalf of employees, or employees discovering that their employers had not been making their social security contributions while they were employed. While the government has imposed a large fine on any businesses found to be doing this, it does little to assist those who have no income.
The package also excludes some 60,000 seasonal employees working in the tourism sector. Most seasonal work starts from April/May onward, after the deadline set by the government. These individuals will not receive any financial assistance.
Also excluded are journalists and those working in the media. Rama said it is not the job of the government to help the media.
