A day after the clash with protesting miners in Spaç, Mirdita police announced on Tuesday that they were prosecuting nine of them for criminal offenses of obstructing traffic and resisting police officers. A representative of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania, which is supporting the protest, has also been referred to the prosecutor's office for criminal prosecution.
Although they were exercising their right to protest, the miners were held in solitary confinement for 6 hours at the Mirdita police station on Monday. On Tuesday morning, they gathered again in protest at the mine's main entrance.
"We were protesting, as we have been doing since October 8th, near the main entrance of the company. The police came and intervened forcefully for no reason," said Albert Bushpreni, the protest leader.
"They took us to the police station and some of us even suffered fractures from police violence. It doesn't seem normal to me that in a democratic state, it's just that we are demanding our rights," he added.
Around 70 miners at the Spaç mine in Mirdita have stopped work and have been protesting since October 8, demanding the recognition of the union and the signing of a collective labor contract, which, according to them, would guarantee rights and safety in the workplace.
But the company "TETE Albania", which manages the Spaç mine, has not accepted the miners' demands so far.
In a media release distributed on Tuesday, the company "Tete Albania" stated that it was in favor of dialogue with the miners, but accused the Confederation of obstructing work at the mine and of not having presented complete legal documentation.
"The company 'TETE Albania' remains ready for constructive and social dialogue, as soon as the complete legal documentation is presented and the procedures foreseen by the legislation in force are respected," the company stated. /BIRN/
