Bulqize, miners back to hunger strike

19/09/2011 09:10

A second hunger strike has started in Bulqize, organized by chrome
miners’ syndications. The workers protested in front of the ACR Company,
but police did not allow them to enter the building.

The miners then gathered in a bar at the entrance of the ACR Company offices, which is rented by the syndication. The leading council of the syndication decided to start a second hunger strike, since the miners hadn’t received a positive answer for their requests.

The syndication leader explained the reasons why the miners were isolated in front of the ACR Company administration. The syndication and the company negotiated some days ago and agreed on all points of the agreement, except from the miners’ request for dismissing the ACR director.

Syndication against Minister Naco

The Economy Minister declarations against the syndications that are leading the Bulqize Mine have had a harsh reaction as response.

In a press release, syndication leaders accused the Minister of Economy, Nasip Naco, and said that the Ministry he leads has its hands tied due to the financial tangents and the flirts with the ACR Company.

The syndication says that the Minister should demand ACR to implement the concessionary investments agreement and open a new perspective for this source, rather than trying to pressure and threaten the syndication and miners with trials, which not only have no legal value, but are a shameful falsity that comes from an irresponsible Minsiter, who is taking innocent lives every day with the wrong actions and the lack of actions for closing the abandoned galleries, for the closure of which the Albanian government has paid several times, such as in Kukes, Tropoje, Baterr, Bulqize, Librazhd and Pogradec.

Meanwhile, the strike in Bulqize continues and the miners are gathering each day in front of the ACR building, waiting for their reaction. In the last talks, the parties agreed for every clause of the agreement, but ACR doesn’t accept to dismiss the mine director, as one of the miners’ requests.

The miners have been protesting for economic demands for more than two months. Although it has seemed several times that they were about to find a common language, the agreement has never been signed.

The “Decometal” representatives discussed with the syndications and reached a verbal agreement. The ACR Company announced through a press release that the miners who would not interrupt the strike, would be fired. This brought the reaction of the syndications who sued the ACR Company for violating the strike law. 

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