Facts, issues, judgments Since December 12 of the year that has just ended, the strike by workers at the oil-processing plant in Ballsh has continued. Until now, the public has learned about this strike only through several official statements broadcast on Radio and Television. For this reason, we think it appropriate to provide more detailed information about it, while also raising several issues related to the strike and expressing some of our own judgments about it. A few words about the oil plant in Ballsh The oil-processing plant in Ballsh began operating in 1978. It carries out deep processing of around 80 percent of the oil produced in our country. As such, it is the country’s principal supplier of oil by-products. Around 1,700 workers are employed at this plant. Nearly all the residents of the town of Ballsh make their living from the plant’s income. Since December 12, when the strike began, no oil has been processed at the plant. The plant has continued to supply oil by-products from its reserves. The situation today is very difficult. At the same time, the plant has continued to accumulate crude-oil production in its storage tanks. But if the strike continues, oil production risks being brought to a standstill. On what legal basis is this being done? The Mallakastër District Court, in a ruling dated December 29, declared the strike illegal. According to the strike representatives, the trial took place without the strikers or their lawyer present. It is not known judicially which provisions of the law on strikes the strikers violated, because the court has not given them its decision declaring the strike illegal. Attention is also drawn to the fact that the trial concerning the strike took place after the plant had been shut down and the workers were all considered to have been dismissed. As such, they no longer had any legal obligations. On the evening of the 3rd, by order of the Fier prosecutor, Kujtim Ymeri, who also has the Mallakastër district under his jurisdiction, two representatives of the strike committee were arrested: the committee’s chairman, Skënder Çela, and strike committee member Xhevahir Xhifla. On January 4, at a joint meeting of local government officials, plant managers, Alpetrol managers, and political parties in the district, which was also attended by the Minister of Industry and Energy Resources, Abdyl Ahaja, a statement was issued calling on the workers to return to work. However, even this statement, broadcast on Radio and Television, had no effect on the workers. On January 5, they still did not return to work. According to a conversation with them, [the text continues: losses caused by the flooding in the villages of this commune exceed 40 million lekë (in old lekë). Meanwhile, the district council has so far been given 10 million lekë to cover the damage caused across the district. In truth, the task force set up by the district council assessed the situation in this commune as the most serious; this was realistic, and the commune therefore needs 3 million 300 thousand lekë from this fund. In fact, there have been possibilities. As we learned,]

We are a group of unfortunate people. Our misfortune began a long time ago, but we will start from November 17, 1992, when the waters of the Mat River flooded over us mercilessly. We are all farmers from the village of Gurës, in the commune of Gurëz, in the newly established district of Laç. The flooding of the Mat River brought us many misfortunes. As a result, we lost a large part of what we owned; in other words, we suffered damage: 1. To our grain crops: the maize was standing in the field, at the ears, and the water swept some of it away along with the stalks. The wheat that had been sown, as well as the seed prepared for planting, was flooded, so the land has to be worked a second time. 2. To the walls of our houses and barns. 3. To our livestock. 4. To household materials and furnishings such as doors, furniture, and many other things. To help us overcome the difficulties, the government and the President made us many promises: 1. Our land would be sown for free. 2. They would help us with clothing, bedding, and money, free of charge, etc. All of these turned out to be nothing but empty promises and public deception. Through the news media, such as television, radio, etc., we heard that many countries and associations had sent us aid, but we never saw it. So, in answer to the question: did they bring it to us just to make us happy, or [the supplied text breaks off and continues with a passage about flood damage in another commune] the damage caused by flooding in the villages of this commune exceeds we learned,

This is the title of some veteran’s story about wartime, but it was the first event with which the New Year ’03 was ushered in in the snow-covered city of Korçë. This had not happened at any time since the first years after the end of the Second World War. I use this expression because those in power have no affection even for the first ten years after liberation. Korçë, which produced enough wheat for five districts of Albania and which, even in the most critical periods, was first in food supply, was left with empty bread shops for three days. After standing frozen beside the shop doors, people looked up at the sky, and when they saw that nothing was falling from there either, except snow, they rushed toward the bread factory, where, to secure a bite to eat, they had to resort to all kinds of pushing and cursing. (If you couldn’t get any by that means, the free bread market operated regularly nearby, where you could buy bread for 30–35 lekë.) In the great commotion, someone managed to get hold of a crust; the next person, coming along behind, accidentally stepped on it, and a third shouted loudly: “Don’t step on it, may the devil step on you!” As people fought for bread, these words rang in their ears: “We’ll give you seven kinds of bread… We’ll give you white bread…” As she left the disorderly queue, a woman, hoarse from shouting, said: “Please, get that moustache from the television opinion shows on the phone and have him come here to Korçë and repeat that; he and his town criers will be very pleased.” Nevertheless, every bad thing has something good in it. The clever women of Korçë, who are good homemakers, began to practice cooking and baking bread at home. ERGET CENOLLI

(ATSH) — What the strikers are demanding — In a conversation we had on March 5 with representatives of the strike committee, we learned about their demands to the government. These demands, set out in a petition sent to the government on November 20, are as follows: 1. Immediate medical examinations for the plant’s workers. 2. Reduction of the weekly working hours from 48 to 40. 3. Doubling of regular leave and the granting of an additional month’s salary to everyone. 4. A wage increase to offset the decline in living standards caused by inflation. 5. A pension booklet must be prepared and put into effect for the plant’s employees, because its workers do not know how many years they must work before retiring. 6. Albetrol must open a line of credit for the construction of the apartment buildings that the plant has begun building. As is known, their demands are economic. In the petition containing these demands, and in the conversation we had the day before yesterday with representatives of the strike, [they said] that the strike was not prompted by any political force. “Our party,” [he] said, “is the union.” … no oil has been processed at all. reserves. These reserves are now very low. On the other hand, being brought to a standstill.

So far, the strikers have been in contact with representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral and Energy Resources and with the President of the Republic. According to a statement by the ministry’s deputy minister, Bujar Nepravishta, on television, the strikers’ demands are fair, but they will take some time to meet. In several statements by the government spokesperson broadcast on television, the strikers’ demands are called impossible to meet, and the strike is said to have been incited by certain forces for destabilizing purposes. Following this logic, by a Government decision dated December 26, the Ballsh deep oil-processing plant was closed. All the workers have been laid off. Those who wish to work at the plant must report to the employment office in Ballsh and then report for work at the plant. This Government decision was communicated orally to the workers and was shown neither to the strikers nor to the local authorities. It is not known whether it is genuine, and if so...

- Gentlemen of the central committee - According to reports broadcast on television, the aid given to the flooded areas is not insignificant. Thus, at first glance, based on these reports, one gets the impression that intensive work is being done in this direction, to compensate the residents of these areas as much as possible for the damage caused. But when you hear that work to address this damage is progressing slowly, and learn the reality when you go among the people affected by these consequences, a concern seems justified—a concern increasingly voiced by a very broad public: where is all the aid that was requested and has arrived for the flooded areas going? We looked into this issue in the commune of Ana e Malit in the Shkodër district. The damage caused in this commune was first assessed by the committee set up by the district council; the situation in this commune was judged to be the most serious, so, accordingly, 3 million and 300 thousand lekë from this fund were allocated to the commune. In reality, these were the available resources. As we learned from the commune chairman, Beqir Malaj, 2 million lekë from this fund were distributed to farmers for the recovery of the wheat crop, 1 million for rebuilding bridges, and another amount was used to repair homes. The farmers’ demands are greater, and their claims are not excessive; we would even call them minimal, considering all the damage caused by the flooding. Furthermore, the land-reclamation enterprise has still not organized work to build structures that would eliminate all the side channels of the stream, with the result that, when the first rain falls, more than 100 homes will be at risk of destruction. In short, even from this brief account of the commune, it is clear what hardships the residents of the flooded areas continue to face. The fact that a district such as Shkodër, where the effects of the floods were indeed less severe than in other districts, but still considerable, was given 10 million lekë shows that the situation has not been assessed realistically. MUSA KURTULAJ

According to an unofficial source, it is learned that, on orders from above, at the end of 1992, special forces sent from Tirana, without a request from the local authorities, arrested four people at night. They are accused of insulting the honor of MP Safet Zhulali. NO COMMENT: Four people arrested in Bulqizë over Safet Zhulali ...! According to an unofficial source, it is learned that, on orders from above, at the end of 1992, special forces sent from Tirana, without a request from the local authorities, arrested four people at night. They are accused of insulting the honor of MP Safet Zhulali, who is also currently Minister of Defense of the Republic of Albania. Among those arrested was a 12-year-old child, who, after being brought to Tirana accompanied by police officers, was released and returned to Bulqizë. The fate of the other people is unknown. Although we should clarify that Safet Zhulali, after being illegally hit with stones in Bulqizë, where he had gone to meet those who had elected him as their MP in that district, had already celebrated the New Year safe and sound. LAJMËTARI

A question ARBEN LIKA could answer: Journalist | «Voice of America» in Washington Xhord...? Shehu asked President Berisha a question about changes in the government cabinet. Will there be changes in the government? But what was said at the next Democratic Congress? It was said that several ministers should be replaced. But which ones specifically? Nobody knows better than Arben Lika, who is said to have called for the removal from office of Messrs. Ylli Vejziu, Kudret Çela, Genc Ruli and Bashkim Shehu. Is this true? Let’s wait and see. Meanwhile, we can say that Arben Lika’s request was not called anti-national, unconstitutional and destabilizing, as the motion of no confidence in Foreign Minister Sorre[g] was described when it was legally submitted to Parliament by the Socialist Party parliamentary group... VIZHGUESI

This is a legitimate concern for all those people who are currently receiving assistance. Under the laws in force, social assistance payments continue for up to one year. Under these laws, the employment office is required, during the period of assistance, to offer the unemployed up to three jobs. This concern has gripped many citizens of Shkodër. Specifically, many agricultural specialists and employees of various economic enterprises will not continue to receive assistance throughout 1993. Assistance eventually comes to an end. From conversations with several former employees who are now receiving assistance, we believe that the employment office has not even deigned to call them once to offer them any kind of job. So what then? Will these people’s assistance payments be stopped? Will the Government keep its promise to create new jobs and open training courses for the unemployed? Will there be assistance for them today, but not forever? ... JETMIR SHP UZA[?]

— To the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Mr Aleksandër Meksi — To the Minister of Industry, Mr Abdyl Ahaja, TIRANA. By means of this statement, we protest the arbitrary decision of the Minister of Industry, Mr Abdyl Ahaja, announced on television on 4.1.1993 concerning the strike situation at K.P.T.H.N. Ballsh, as follows: 1. The enterprise’s engineering and technical staff explained that the workers gathered at the entrance to the Combine around the protest area to protest the arrest of two representatives of the strike committee, not to start work at the Combine. 2. The assessment of the strike as anti-national is unjustified, since the representatives of local government and the political forces, in the two statements issued, assessed it as an economic strike, with a legitimate demand. Some of them want time and a legal framework so that these demands can be met during the first part of 1993. 3. We request that this statement be carried by the radio and television news media. Chairman of the District Council FQIRI HAZIZI [The supplied text then continues:] Other factors, such as the Minister of Industry and Energy, Abdyl Xhaja, issued a statement calling on the workers to return to work. However, this statement, too, work. According to a conversation with members of the strike committee, they are determined to continue the strike. Their demands have been supported by the leadership of the Independent Oil Workers’ Union, based in Patos. The union’s own chairman, Mentor Xhemali, has signed the petition containing the oil workers’ aforementioned demands. According to strike committee member Vitmond Asllani, several other oil workers’ unions, including those in Vlahin[i]cë, Çe[r]rik, Patos, Ballsh, etc., have also sent telegrams expressing solidarity with their strike. — From a conversation with the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Abdyl Xhaja In the conversation we had yesterday at midday with the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Mr Abdyl Xhaja, he told us, among other things: “I have dealt with the strike by the workers of the Ballsh plant; I went to Ballsh twice in particular and spoke at length with the strikers and representatives of local government, and [the source text is garbled here]. We have found common ground with them regarding the strike and its benefits. The statements they issued are the result of the positions taken by local government bodies and political parties; one of them is dated December 23 …” HAMDI JUPE (Continued on page 2)

In Bulqizë, four people are arrested in connection with Safet Zhuali...

Late in the afternoon the day before yesterday, the 27-year-old young man Fatmir Shpuza, from the village of Shtoj i Ri in Shkodër, was shot and killed. According to the information available so far, the murder took place near the railway line close to this village. It is also said that the killing resulted from a sudden dispute over guarding fish. However, the competent authorities have not yet announced the true cause of this murder.