ACR: Miners to sign individual contracts

Mine risking closure

The entire town of Bulqize has been swept by protests and a hunger strike for more than one month, even with sporadic violence.

The miners and their families demand higher payments, but also
investments from the ACR Company, for being safer and having more
technical conditions.

Engineer Jorgo Kola, who has spent 30 years of his life in this mine,
supports the legal mineworkers’ strike, but he underlines that the basis
of this strike should be the demand for having the ACR Company open
four other levels in that mine. Engineer Kola says that the chrome in
the 16th level would guarantee the miners job for one other year, while
ACR should have started opening the levels 17, 18, 19 and 20 a long time
ago.

“They are late. They should have opened it two or three years ago. In
2012 or 2013 there will be no space to use your tools for materials.
There is no more”, Kola declared.

Studies made several years ago show that the Bulqize chrome mine has 20
other levels, but Engineer Kola thinks that it really has 40, which
would mean at least 3 to 4 million tons of chrome, which is ranked first
in Europe for its quality.

“The private companies could continue their work for other 50 years
here, and the mine is rich from this point of view. It has been dug 540
meters under the sea level, and it could be exploited for 40 levels”,
Kola declared.

In the territory of the ACR Company and the levels exploited by them,
there are dozens of private companies whose miners work without any plan
or security measures. Years ago, these levels have had accidents that
resulted with lost lives. Experts say that the reason is that they work
in difficult terrain and unsafe conditions.

“They take even the chrome stalagmites, which have been left for
technical safety reasons. In this aspect, they put in danger themselves
and each other. By removing the upper part, the bottom part is put in
danger. There should not be 100 different types of work, but only one
single company that makes all the process”, Kola declared.

While the revenues of the ACR Company and other private firms were much
greater, the mineworkers decided to start a hunger strike for higher
payments and better working conditions.

Baki Bajraktari is one of the miners who decided to isolate himself for
29 days in the 1400 meters deep underground galleries. Today he is
together with his family, but with health problems.

“My friends removed me from the mine. I have acute rheumatism. I have
had problems with my heart and my stomach”, Bajraktari says.

“We demand better working conditions. A Minister cannot open and close
galleries with a signature, only to thicken their pockets”, he adds.

The protest will restart this Wednesday, but the town today is calm and
silent. This is the fasting month for the Muslim devotees, while for the
Bulqize miners it is the month of the long protests. Although
emotionally troubled and with empty pockets, they say that they will
celebrate Fitr Bayram with their family.

Bulqize looks like those hidden and lost towns, totally in function of
the rich chrome mine. A mine that barely keeps alive thousands of
mineworkers, and that gives terrible wealth to some people.

 

Through a written letter, the company promised continuous information for the investment plan.

“The miners are facing difficulties due to irresponsible people”, the Company representatives say.

 The Bulqize miners are continuing their protest, asking the ACR Company to sign the agreement with the syndication. They do not give up their requests for a wage increase and better working conditions.

The Syndication Council announced its decision for continuing the protest until this Monday, with the start of the new Parliamentary Session.

The Syndication representatives asked the Albanian Parliament to discuss the Bulqize issue in their first session.

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