Prime Minister Edi Rama met with the oil workers of Ballsh following more than 45 days of hunger strike, spit between male and female workers.
He expressed his readiness to help the workers of the Ballsh refinery with a payment but did not say how much it would be, or for how long it would continue.
“Substantial financial support will be something between the salary they received and the welfare salary,” he said following the meeting. He added that he did not strike any agreement regarding the months of wage arrears due to the workers as this, he said, was down to the company, not the government.
Rama also said there is still no investor for the refinery but that the government has not given up on its efforts for its future.
Head of the Oil Workers Union Sokol Dautaj said they were not satisfied with the results of the meeting as most of the demands had not been met. He said the decision to resume strike would be taken by the oil workers.
Today the workers decided to accept Rama’s offer due to the difficult situation they find themselves in. They said they will continue to fight for back payment of arrears, taking the case to Strasbourg if necessary.
The Democratic Party responded to the news by saying that Rama has deceived the workers. They said that Rama previously lied to them in 2016 to get their vote by providing guarantees to an investor who came, filled his pockets, and left.
