TIRANA, February 10 /ATA/ The Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs and Public Administration rejected today the draft law “On the status of miners”, an initiative of the DP MP Jorida Tabaku.
According to MP Tabaku, the miners currently benefit an average pension of around 25 thousand lekë up to around 40 thousand lekë. Upon receiving the status of miner, she noted, the pension is expected to get increased up to around 60 thousand lekë, as well as be accompanied by reimbursement of health expenses and other financial benefits, even for those who continue to be active in the profession.
According to her, the right to a supplementary pension has been the main reason for the miners’ protests for around a year and a half before the Parliament.
On his part, Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation Enkelejd Musabelliu stated that the Albanian government has been careful over the years in its treatment of miners and that their status has already been addressed in the framework of the 2014 pension reform.
According to Musabelliu, this reform has created a supplementary scheme for the underground workers, which provides for retirement 10–12 years earlier compared to other professions, as well as higher benefits through additional contributions from employees and employers.
He explained that the supplementary scheme provides for a minimum of 12.5 years of work underground to benefit from the right to a pension and that, in addition to financial benefits, underground workers also enjoy a number of other benefits defined in sub-legal acts.
Musabelliu emphasized that, based on international legislation, the Albanian scheme for the treatment of difficult professions meets the necessary criteria and offers comparable social protection, even clearer and more transparent than that of other Western Balkan countries.
Parliamentary Committee Dismisses Initiative on “Miners’ Status”. /j.p/p.s./
