State ilegally blocking ARMO: Gov’t imposing social chaos
The state cannot leave 3000 employees wandering in the streets of Albania. The blocking of ARMO Company is an abusive and arbitrary case that clearly shows that the outgoing government is paving way to a social chaos that would later be extremely difficult to put under control.
The statement comes from several trade union leaders who strongly support the protests of thousands of ARMO employees, while they appeal to certain state structures to stop the abusing measures that only bring negative consequences on the economy of Albanian families.
“What ARMO is facing is a public problem – it is not a problem that belongs only to the company and the employees. Now it has the size of a national problem and unfortunately we are disturbed by the indifference of the government and other political factors that affect decisions to resolve the problem in a legal way. We do not assume the role of arbitrator, to tell who is guilty and who is responsible, but we have a functional and statutory duty with regard to the problem of employment and rights protection, regardless of the fact whether they are part of the membership in the union,” declared Kole Nikolla, president of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania.
Nikolla said that the blocking of the ARMO Company is illegal since there is no written order or a court decision over the issue.
Everything from the state structures is happening through the force of physical and psychological pressure.
“We have publicly requested, but also with specific paperwork, to the Albanian government that it should express its stance on the problem of its relations with ARMO. There is no law in the world to terminate the accounts of a company. To leave employees in the streets for months and in a strategic oil company with a priori orders, with verbal orders, through police force, the strength of the fittest, in a time when there is no legal mechanism that is operating. If the state has problems with taxes it should address the court and the latter delivers a decision. And then the bailiff would execute it. Only a bailiff can execute a freezing of bank accounts. It is nonsense that tax authorities are over the court, the government, the state. This happens only in Albania,” Nikolla delared.
Meanwhile, the protests of thousands of workers of ARMO Company continue because so far they are faced with the indifference of the state, which has not responded to their request for unblocking the work in the oil refineries.
TV Albanian Screen, 23.07.2013
State still indeferent to ARMO employees’ demands
In the second week of their protests, thousands of employees of the Fier and Ballsh refineries demanded from the state to meet their demands to unfreeze the accounts and to let work resume.
Workers continue their protest against the illegal and abusive stop of the work and suggested that the indifference of the state is leaving over 3 thousand families without bread.
According to them, even though they signed a petition there is still no official response for the workers.
On the other hand the work of Fier and Ballsh refineries remains blocked by a verbal and totally illegal order.
These arbitrary actions are not based on any letter of the law nor in the order of tax authorities that is presented as the only document in justifying the abusing attitude of these malicious segments.
Incensed by these provocative attitudes, the refinery workers said they would continue to protest until their demands are fully met and they will escalate them further if their voice is not heard.
Over the recent four years, certain state structures have fined the ARMO Company with about 100 million dollars, while in the last few months the fines have mounted to $ 60 million.
The attempts to rob the shares of the company have not stopped even with other illegal means up to the most recent blocking with vehicles that are owned by the state, but which do not have any license plates.
The cost of this daily block is 100 thousand dollars per day, while the state continues to be silent before these illegal and abusive actions.
TV Albanian Screen, 23.07.2013
ARMO refineries blocked at great financial cost
The protest of ARMO employees will continue in Tirana, in front of the Ministry of Finance, while the company is suffering great damages by the abusive blocking that the refineries are undergoing.
The Director Fier refinery, Bledar Myftari, said that incalculable losses have been caused by a failure of contracts with third parties as a result of the blocking of the work.
TV Albanian Screen, 23.07.2013