Press statement by Prime Minister Edi Rama following meeting with group of Ballsh oil refinery workers:
Prime Minister Edi Rama: We had an open and straightforward conversation. I am very pleased that the way was paved for discussions, because no talks can be held while a strike is underway. We came here with to address plight we certainly didn’t cause, but we are certainly obliged to discuss it with all these people, of course, always bearing in mind the fact that there are many families that are going through a difficult moment and we have actually divided the time in the sense that the issues concerning the relations with private sector operators, taking notice of the system we have chosen to live in, are indeed issues that are not up to the government to deal with, but, of course, the plight of these people today is an issue we are tasked with addressing together with them. Of course, with their consent, because reporting with the employment offices to apply for unemployment benefit is actually the way to deal with the problem legally, but this is the case of a group of people with experience and professional expertise in a certain area that we cannot absolutely afford undoing it and therefore we have proposed that the government provides financial assistance to all these workers. The financial support won’t certainly be equal to the amount of their salary, because the oil refinery is currently not operational, but of course it won’t also be in the amount of the pay they are entitled to receive in unemployment benefits.
–Which is the estimated percentage of the unpaid wages?
PM Rama: We don’t deal with that. The unpaid wages are not an issue we should deal with. The unpaid wages are an issue that has to do with their relation with the private company and the court ruling concerns the liabilities that have been incurred but have not been paid by the company, and it is not about the government’s obligations. In a system like the one we have chosen 30 years ago, the government doesn’t take over to address these issues and it is the private companies that should address them. It is all about a company that has gone through a process that couldn’t have been otherwise but a scandalous privatization process, a financial crime that was committed by the previous government and it is not up to the government to address that court ruling. The government is obliged to address this plight today and of course, taking also into account the fact that we haven’t given up our plans about the future of this refinery, because our analysis and consultations show that the refinery is not to be sent for scrap.
–Have you established contacts with any potential investor that can restart the refinery? If yes, when the refinery will be restarted?
PM Rama: It would have been much simpler If I were to know when the refinery will be restarted, but I don’t know it as long as investor ready to restart the refinery has yet to be found, especially at this moment and in a sector that is one of the globally worst-hit. You all know what is going on with the global oil industry today. I certainly told oil workers that we have been making efforts and efforts are underway each day, but we find ourselves in an extremely specific position, because what we do is the role of the facilitator by establishing contacts abroad, starting with presidents, like it was the case with the President of Azerbaijan, but not only, to ask for help, support and involvement of their companies. These companies are mostly not interested, but even when interested they want to know what kind of support the government would provide them. They should also take stock of the performance of the current company. And then, if it happens that a company is ready to take over this refinery, it should first negotiate with the bank, because this asset is collateral.
–Mr, Rama, if oil workers reject your offers and resume their hunger strike , is this your last offer to them?
PM Edi Rama: This is not an option. It is of course their right, but I refuse negotiations when strikes are staged. This is a reasonable offer, because we assume paying them so that they can stay at home. They can also find a job, if they wish to, but we assume paying them considering that they are not an ordinary group of workers, but they are specialists and experts in this sector and in this oil refinery and we don’t want to lose them as long as we think that the refinery is not a lost cause and should not be sent for scrap. To this end, we will make available a reasonable financial support which will not be in the amount of the wage they receive when working, but will certainly be higher than the unemployment benefit.
–Have you made any estimated calculation of the effect in the budget?
PM Edi Rama: I am not going to provide a figure, because the today’s meeting aimed at reaching an accord first. We are ready to talk and we actually also talked about the past, their relation with the private companies, the investors, debts, liabilities, but we can share all these to express sympathy for their plight, yet it is something we can’t solve and it is not up to us to address it. From now on, the time in view of a solution that would imply finding an investor to restart the refinery, is a time when we are ready to help these people and provide them a reasonable financial support so that they can provide for their families.
– Is there any investor interested to take over the company?
PM Edi Rama: I already answered to this question.
–Was this the end of dialogue?
PM Edi Rama: Dialogue never ends.
– The head of the trade union said that …[inaudible]
PM Edi Rama: I am pleased that they ended their strike and we are now talking. I am convinced that what we are offering is actually the optimum solution and I hope our offer also satisfies their needs. I told them to take more time and consult one another and discuss the matter again. As soon as they agree, we will be back and we will then provide a concrete figure and our common goal. We are not to sides. We are one and on the same side. We are here to discuss the matter as a common family.
–For how long these people will be receiving unemployment payments? Is there any deadline? How much the government will pay them?
PM Edi Rama: We didn’t discuss such terms with them, because such a process has to take place through certain steps. We should first agree in principle, so that people don’t ask from government what government is not obliged to deliver and as soon as they agree about this principle, I will come back and sit with them to discuss concrete terms and we will let you know.
