AlbChrome Company breakes again the labour code
We call on the Inspectorate of Labour and all other law-abiding institutions to wake up from their lethargic sleep and force the company to respect the law
Yesterday, on 20th of January the CEO of AlbChrome, Mr Luan Saliaj denied the leaders of the United Miners of Bulqiza Trade Union form exercising their legal rights of meeting with the members of the trade union within the work environment. According to point 7 of article 181 of the Labour Code:
The employer shall create the necessary conditions and facilitate the elected representatives of the trade union organizations to meet with members of the trade unions for the normal exercise of their functions as specified in the collective agreement. For this reason, the employer shall:
a) allow access to the work premises;
b) allow the distribution of information, brochures, announcements and other documents of the trade union organization;
c) grant the time to its members to participate in the activities of the organization within the country and abroad;
d) allow and facilitate within the work premises for the collection of quotas for the union, as well as the organizing of meetings.
The situation yesterday arose after the repeated disregard of the many requests directed to the company for enabling such a meeting. Luan Saliaj, after arriving at the premises of AlbChrome where the leaders of SMBB were expecting to meet with the membership in accordance with the law said that he could meet with the unionists only as “Luan”, for the sake of his “humanity”, but not as the CEO of AlbChrome. Whereas Mr Petrit Cara, the local Director of the company, said that he could meet with the representatives of the union according to his timetable, but only as “Petrit, their fellow villager”, without allowing them to meet with the miners.
Petrit as the Director of AlbChrome, and not just as “Petrit”, and Luan as the CEO of the company, and not just as “Luan”, ought to get acquainted with the laws in force within the Republic of Albania. Yesterday’s unlawful behaviour is added to a long list of cases when the company has broken the law, starting with the firing of four trade unionists – a case for which we will soon meet in court.
We call on the Inspectorate of Labour and all other law-abiding institutions to wake up from their lethargic sleep and force the company to respect the law. Our patience has reached its limit.