Dismissed CEZ employees stage protests

TIRANA, April 16 – Dozens of CEZ employees fired in the past few months after CEZ Shperndarje was taken back under state management staged protests this week against their dismissal after the Czechs had their licence revoked last Janaury.
The employees claim they were fired without any reason and demand their return on duty. Some 420 employees have been fired since last January when Sahit Dollapi, a former director of the Tirana Water Supply company and ex-director of the electricity distribution operator took over as new manager. Some 900 other employees have been demoted and had their salaries cut, protesters claim.
The employees say they will stage protests in front of CEZ’s offices in Tirana each Tuesday supported even by civil society organizations. Opposition media link the dismissals with an employment campaign in return for votes in favour of government ahead of next June’s general elections.