On the 15th day of the hunger strike, the oil workers of the company "Bankers Petroleum" moved the protest to in front of the offices in Fier.
"Since I started working, my stress has increased more than my salary!"; "Enough with the deception!"; "Dignity for oil workers!", were some of the banners they were holding.
Some of the strikers had brought their children with them. They stressed that if their demands continue to be ignored, they will move the protest to Tirana.
"We will head towards Tirana and we will entrench ourselves where the center of corruption is, in front of the Prime Minister's Office. We will not stop!" said Ago Nuhaj, Bankers employee.
For about two weeks, oil workers in the Patos-Marinëza area, organized by the Hydrocarbon Sector Union, have been on strike for wage increases and improved working conditions.
"If you ask them, there are employees here who continue to receive 500, 600, 700 or even 800 euros, while Chinese employees or other citizens here receive up to hundreds of thousands," emphasized Dritan Shahu, President of the Hydrocarbon Sector Union.
Only last night, on October 28, did an ambulance intervene again near the strikers. Two of them showed health problems and received treatment, while one of them was sent to the hospital for more specialized care.
During the protest, the employees highlighted the constant pressure they are being put under, according to them, by company representatives, to end the strike.
"They went out into the field, put pressure on the workers, went to their homes, found their addresses, where the women and men work, it's a whole chain of corruption," Nuhaj continued.
The strikers have been continuously supported by organizations civil society and trade unions, which have expressed solidarity with their cause.
"Unite to support workers who are demanding their rights! Our voices together are strength!" the "Social Justice" organization wrote on online networks.
On October 22, in an official statement, Bankers Petroleum explained that a meeting it held with striking workers did not go well. According to them, they are unable to approve wage increases due to ongoing financial pressures, including falling oil prices, the value of the foreign exchange and forecasts suggesting a further decline next year.
The Bankers workers' protests initially began in September, but were suspended after a consensual solution was considered between the parties. Bankers workers told Citizens reporters at the time that they were brokering an agreement.
But apparently, the failure to reach an agreement led the oil workers to strike on October 15. Citizens has repeatedly reported on pollution environmental and challenges of the residents of Patos-Marinza.
Read also:
- Life near the oil wells: The other side of Patos-Marinëza
- The family that lost three children failed to prove in court the pollution of Pato Marinza
- Bankers Petroleum under investigation: Suspected of evading taxes for 20 years
He completed his master's studies in the department of Journalism and Communication Sciences at the University of Tirana. She has been reporting for more than four years in Citizens.al on issues of culture, urban development, feminism, etc. She is also a contributor to other local and foreign online media, and has worked in the editing of various materials. She is the author of the podcast "Pezull" on Citizens.al and is engaged as a coordinator of projects related to the empowerment of young journalists and migration issues.
