According to information from the executive committees of the districts, the strike situation has developed as follows: In Tirana, around 40 miners at the Valias mine continue their hunger strike. A rally was also held on the enterprise’s premises, attended by several hundred of its workers and workers from several other mines. The organizing commission declared that no other miners would go down into the galleries. Following this, the law-enforcement forces withdrew from the entrances to the shafts. After a medical examination, at the request of the doctor present, a striker found to be suffering from bronchopneumonia was allowed to leave the gallery to receive treatment in hospital. Yesterday morning, urban bus service resumed in the city of Tirana on the Kombinat-Kinostudio route. In Lezhë, workers from all the enterprises that had been involved in the strike reported to their workplaces yesterday. However, normal operations at many of them, such as the leather factory and the food-processing enterprise, are being hindered by shortages of raw materials. The fishing enterprise is likewise hampered by the port not being put into operation. In Vlorë, employees of the passenger transport depot and the lamp factory resumed work. The number of strikers in this district has fallen from 7,000 to 5,700. In Pogradec, the workforce of the Pojskë mine and around 100 workers in the Vërdovë section of the coal mine have ended their strike. Workers at Pogradec railway station also resumed work, with a few absences. The Press and Information Directorate at the Council of Ministers.

On 27 May, a joint meeting of the Plenum of the Central Committee of the PP and the PP parliamentary group in the People’s Assembly was held in Tirana. The participants discussed with concern the current grave situation, further worsened by the strike which, for more than 10 days, has involved a number of workers’ collectives in various districts of the country. Expressing the party’s support for the government’s programme, and the support of the masses of the people they represent, the speakers stressed the need for a general commitment to bringing people back to work and stabilizing the situation and public order. Alongside this, they emphasized that efforts must continue within the party and parliament, among the people, and through contacts with political parties and socio-political forces, trade unionists and others, to find the most suitable ways and means of overcoming the grave economic and social crisis and ensuring the conditions necessary to implement the country’s democratic development programme. At the request of the PP parliamentary group, the President of the Republic, Ramiz Alia, also attended the meeting as a guest. Tirana, 27 May 1991

The state of the country after 10 days of the general strike is clear to everyone. It needs no comment. The government’s latest statement clearly expresses concern about the consequences of the crisis. First and foremost, it is a final appeal, an alarm call addressed to every honest Albanian to think deeply about the fate of this country. Do we have the strength to avert the catastrophe these events could bring? It has been stated many times that the workers’ economic demands are justified. We all need higher wages. We all want better working and living conditions—not only what is considered essential and vital, but more than that. People’s material and spiritual needs and interests have naturally grown. So far, so good. But whom are we asking for what we want, and how are we asking for it? This is where things take a different and more difficult turn. We should help the government carry out its duties. But have we given it that help? We can say: not at all. From the very first days, we went for its throat, strangling this newborn government with strikes. As if it had not emerged from the people’s own ranks. This is the first act of a people’s suicide. The situation we are going through can, to some extent, be explained by objective factors. The shift from an old, centralized economy towards a new, more structured economy, with unfamiliar features, would naturally be accompanied by psychological upheaval. But we are seeing these natural processes instrumentalized by certain political forces for purposes that in no way serve the people. The people’s economic poverty is being exploited as an arena for a struggle for power. It seems that the workers’ unions are serving the aims of certain political forces. People are responsible for these situations, because in truth we have not done enough. The party organizations and its leading bodies in the districts have not done enough to renew themselves with new forces. But economists, lawyers and sociologists have not done enough either. Only the clear minds of the nation can analyze this psychological collapse. Unfortunately, they are not speaking out as much as they should, forgetting the responsibility they bear. A television programme on the government’s latest measures was received with interest by viewers. But why should only the ministers speak about these problems? We must all answer the homeland’s call to avert catastrophe. Finally, a few words about the other aspect of democracy. Democracy presupposes dialogue and tolerance, but it also presupposes obligation: the obligation of the minority to respect the will and interests of the majority. (Continued on page 3) Just as you have the right to strike, I have the right to petition. Why are you depriving me of my right to work? Why are you preventing me from taking my sick child to hospital? Why are you stopping people from travelling to attend to their needs? Why are you giving private profiteers the opportunity to make gains in these days of misery? For all these reasons, democracy requires obligation. It requires the law to be enforced wherever it has been violated. So much has been said about violations of the law these days. But who has been punished for them? The failure to enforce the law that has been evident for several months has created the impression that you can do whatever you like and not a hair on your head will be harmed. So what is the government waiting for? The people entrusted it with leadership. Let it govern. It must not leave that role to people in the street, riled up by the hotheads among their self-proclaimed “leaders,” who set themselves above the government. Time is running out. …we want better working and living conditions. Not only those considered essential and vital, but more besides. This is because So far, so good. But whom do we ask, and how do we ask for what we want? Here, things take an unreasonable turn. We are all turning to the Government. Sometimes with peaceful, normal requests, sometimes with petitions and ultimatums. There are also threats and insults directed at the Government, even at the President. One gets the impression that the Government is a god who can solve our problems with a single wave of a magic wand. We forget that the Government is a handful of people, our sons and daughters, fortunately shaped by the mistakes and sins of the past, by corruption and bureaucratic methods that have harmed us so much until now. It took upon itself, with… , the responsibility of facing the many complex problems accumulated over the years, despite not being in the least responsible for what has happened. This Government, the first in 46 years, openly laid the state of the country before us, showed us the possibilities and obstacles, and made the outlook clear to us. It also asked us… …we are seeing these natural processes being exploited as an arena for a struggle for power. The workers’ unions apparently are serving the pursuit of the goals of certain political forces. It is clear that the broad masses of the people do not support these actions. But there are also quite a few who have been «drugged» by the opposition’s temptations and empty promises. The fact that the strike has spread more widely in the main cities, which the opposition considers its «domains», needs no comment. The narcotic effect of the election campaign’s very extravagant promises has not yet worn off for some people. Moreover, the PD continues by every means to promise them America, as though America would lay the table for us while we sit back and do nothing. This is the greatest deception being perpetrated on the people. This is the opposition’s «victory», which it seeks to achieve on the basis of the people’s misery. Pity those people who continue to believe in this waking dream. But the opposition has its own business, while we have ours. Our first task is to explain and convince…

- Days in Valias - There have been plenty of days like these in Valias lately. And not only in Valias. But in these lines we are speaking of the most recent days, which are undoubtedly among the most troubling this mine has ever experienced. Since noon on 25 May, representatives from the Tirana coal basin have been on a hunger strike, confined underground. The reason? As many of the workers who are members of the BSPSH say, the action was prompted by the failure to meet the 17-point list of demands submitted to the government by the leaders of this union. We went to the mine to get a closer look at the situation. The morning of 27 May dawned amid general concern for the health of those taking part in the strike. Meanwhile, groups of people kept arriving and gathering in the mine yard. Many were representatives of various collectives from the capital who had come to show solidarity with the strikers. 9:30 a.m. At the mine directorate we learn that an electrical fault has occurred in the gallery below. Everyone is concerned; the anxiety is especially evident in the face of chief engineer Vlli Bruci. A work order is immediately prepared to send a team of electrical specialists and gas technicians to the site. Yet, although every second counts, the order is held up—contrary to all administrative procedure—until it can also be signed by Fiqiri Xibri, chairman of the independent miners’ unions?! Nevertheless, this is what happens, and after that the team of specialists is allowed to descend into the gallery. 10 a.m. A rally is held in the mine yard. Fiqiri Xibri is the first to speak. After criticizing the government’s stance, he stressed that “the act of the workers who have confined themselves underground is a heroic act in the service of the welfare of the people and the nation. They,” he went on, “have gone deep underground for the future of Albania.” Then workers from NPA No. 2, the Municipal Park, the Railway Sector, the “Traktori” factory, a student from ILA, and others took the floor. In essence, they all expressed solidarity with the strikers’ demands, calling them just, but at the same time called for the resignation of the new government, the formation of a coalition government, and so on. The PD deputy Arben Imami, Gëzim Shima, chairman of the BSPSH, one of the leaders of the Republican Party branch in Tirana, and others also spoke at the rally and expressed solidarity with these demands. During the rally, participants shouted various slogans, such as “Down with bureaucracy!” and “No work without victory!” As can be seen, the demands have put on an “economic” cloak and taken on an unmistakably political character. The resignation is being demanded of a government that has not yet been in office for even a month. It is being proposed that yet another government crisis be added to the grave crisis we are already experiencing. Who does this serve? The interests of the nation? Albania’s future? The interests of workers and peasants? We think not. Apart from further inflaming the situation and causing general destabilization, it brings nothing else. Then why insist on it? Are we doing

Work is going on in every collective - SKRAPAR - While in several districts of the country in recent days many [text missing/garbled] have interrupted it. At the food enterprise, at the collection enterprise, [text missing/garbled] are striving to work well toward achieving the Economic losses are mounting - ELBASAN - The day before yesterday, with the streets full

- SKRAPAR - While in several districts of the country in recent days many workers’ collectives have joined the general strike, this phenomenon has not appeared so far in any of the workers’ collectives in the district of Skrapar. many workers’ collectives have joined the general strike, this phenomenon has not appeared so far in any of the workers’ collectives in the district of Skrapar. The reason lies in a proper assessment of the difficult situation our economy is in. Under these circumstances, the workers of Skrapar believe they can contribute more not by leaving their jobs, but by continuing to work. At the food enterprise and the collection enterprise, whose workers have thrown themselves into the task of achieving the four-month targets and, beyond that, doing all they can to secure raw and auxiliary materials, work has gone well. The same can be said of other enterprises, such as the SMT. It should be noted, however, that shortages of raw materials have also been felt at some enterprises in Skrapar, and as a result some departments continue to be paid at 80 percent.

- ELBASAN - The day before yesterday, with the streets crowded with people, no buses running and cafés full, the picture was made all the more striking: with more than 9,600 workers on strike, the city of Elbasan has been cut off from the normal course of life. There is complete silence at many enterprises, including the Ferro-chrome factory, NPV, the two NP-A enterprises, the mechanical factory, the food industry, the wood combine, the carbon factory, PAM, the railway station, the Lenan limestone enterprise, and others. Other enterprises are operating only partially. Many teachers and other specialists who work in the villages, after waiting at the stations, return to their homes. Kozma Biba, deputy chairman of the district People’s Council executive committee, explains that only two buses are running, and they serve the interurban route. “We have spoken with representatives of the strike commission,” he continues, “and with groups of workers from various enterprises, but no agreement has been reached to end the strike. Their answers have been unequivocal: ‘We will continue the strike until all our demands are met.’” Thus, economic life remains paralyzed, and losses from unproduced goods increase more and more each day.

In the context of the political demands being advanced by the BSPSH, the Declaration of the hunger-striking miners was also published in the newspaper «Sindikalisti» dated 27.5.1991. In connection with their malicious fabrications, I wish to clarify matters for all honest Albanian public opinion. 1. The proceedings of the People’s Assembly in its first session have neither been interrupted nor suspended; they are continuing in other standing committees to examine decrees in accordance with the agenda approved by the Assembly. The decision to proceed in this way was made by the Presidium of the Assembly, on the proposal of its Chairman. Consequently, the claim that the Chairman—and not the Presidium—arbitrarily and temporarily interrupted the Assembly’s proceedings is unfounded and is simply slander. 2. I was invited simply as a deputy for this area to the rally organized at the request of the people of the Mallakastër area to support the Government and its program. The rally was conducted entirely in accordance with the rules and was peaceful; no slogans calling for national division or confrontation among Albanian brothers were raised there. Yet while the distressed people seek to support their Government, some union leaders are taking anti-Albanian positions, smearing an entire people—the people of Mallakastër—as supposedly organizing «counter-rallies» of the Enverist-Milošević type. In this way they have taken it upon themselves to toy with the feelings of an entire people, which has been and remains patriotic, hardworking, honest, and capable of correctly understanding the grave political and economic situation. It is these leaders who are fomenting divisions between regions and confrontation among the people, thereby leading the country toward national catastrophe. I therefore ask them to appeal to that misinformed segment of the population and explain that statements such as the one published in «Sindikalisti» do not accuse one person, but an entire people. They serve neither the normal functioning of the People’s Assembly nor the unity of the people, nor do they help us emerge from the grave economic and political situation.

- VLORË - This week began somewhat differently. Noteworthy is the return to work of the collective of passenger transport drivers. Whereas their strike had forced workers in other sectors to «strike» as well, now their return to work has normalized work in all those sectors. Some freight transport drivers are also back at work. The situation is also much more positive at the SMT and at the canning and prepared-food combine, as well as at those other workplaces where the strike did not spread. At the lamp factory, some departments are being held up because of a lack of oxygen, which is supplied by the soda-PVC plant. But how many other collectives are keeping the workplace running, while others are on strike? Meanwhile, reasonable public opinion, uninfluenced by various partisan prejudices, has strengthened its appeal for striking workers to assess the current situation more carefully, since it is so decisive for the economy and the people, and to take a position in keeping with their own interests.

As a result of the heavy rains, a difficult situation arose in the city of Berat in recent days, something that has rarely happened. To learn more and obtain specific details about the problem, officials at the information office attached to the district People’s Council Executive Committee told us that the economic damage caused by the situation is estimated at around 4.5 million lekë. The extensive flood damage to around 30 families in private homes poses a problem, as it has created housing difficulties. Among the enterprises affected by the floods, the greatest damage was at the «Thoma Bello» agricultural enterprise, amounting to 1.7 million lekë; at Turizëm, the damage is estimated at 800,000 lekë. There was also damage at the waterworks enterprise, NTSH, the printing house, etc. To cope with and normalize the situation throughout the district, a task force is operating, comprising the leaders of the executive committee, its sections, and several district enterprises. Likewise, work teams have been set up within the flooded enterprises themselves to bring the situation under control, remedy it, and take measures to restore normal operations. …flooding has affected nearly 30 families in private homes, creating housing problems. was suffered by the agricultural enterprise «Thoma Bello», estimated at 800 thousand lekë. There was also damage to the waterworks enterprise, NTSH, the printing house, etc. To deal with the situation and restore normal conditions across the district, a working task force is operating, made up of the leaders of the executive committee, the departments, and several enterprises in the district. Likewise, the flooded enterprises themselves have formed their own working groups to bring the situation under control, address the situation, and take measures to return operations to normal. A report from Berat

The President of the Republic of Albania, Comrade Ramiz Alia, yesterday received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to Albania, Viktor Neru… . Present at the conversation on the presentation of the cre… were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Muhamet Kapllani, a director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shpëtim Çaushi, and others. The ambassador was accompanied by diplomats from the Embassy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in Tirana.

…llisë shq- tive, that they may foretell Kosovo’s …tshme, të defyare at për shqiptar… session e …ohu… Pard… bit Amer… shqiptare… organ…ton Radi… …llisë shqiptare…

All deputies are hereby notified that on 29.5.1991, Wednesday, at 9:00, the People’s Assembly will resume its proceedings in plenary session. PRESIDIUM OF THE PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY