Miners’ Union asks for pension age of 55 years for members

DURRES, Sept.8 – The mine workers’ union will seek early retirement for its members due to the many hardships miners endure working in mines. The request was presented at the Fifth Congress of the Independent Union of Albanian Miners, which hosted 260 union representatives. Discussions included the present situation of minerals reserves in the country as well as the working conditions of miners. The congress made a plea for the government to exercise more oversight when issuing concessions for operating mine sites. Minister of Labor, Social issues and Equal opportunities, Kosta Barka, greeted the congress with a speech on informality and the importance of continuing the fighting against it. The congress was dominated by discussions over the numerous miners’ accidents at the Bulqiza mine in recent months which have claimed the lives of mine workers due to unenforced safety standards. G컩m Kalaja, Head of the Association of Independent Unions in Albania, praised the agreement reached with the government and asked for less political interference. Kalaj explained that reopening the mine sites in the country, given the interest of foreign companies to invest in mining, is an overall positive development as it will open new mines and provide additional jobs. Nevertheless, this has to go hand in hand with proper safety conditions, social security and medical assistance contributions, said Kalaja. The congress approved a three-item memo in which calls for the recognition of the extreme nature of their profession, hence the raise in pensions to match those of other difficult professions such as members of the air force receive. Another point calls for providing the minimum wage to miners who have become unemployed due to reforms. Finally, the congress has asked for an early retirement age of 55 years, given that the current 65 years is an unrealistic requirement given the hardships encountered and the harm done to the health of miners.