Author: Klevis Paloka
The smoke continues to disperse and ascend, taking over the sky. This has been happening for more than a night and a day and the fire that has gotten out of control is spreading monstrously underground, possessing almost 2 thousand meters of warehouse. Beneath the gray sky from plumes of smoke, the mall sits, and fire engines appear small enough to contain the blaze, which started with a spark on Wednesday. Firefighters go in and out, but with all the speed with which they maneuver, they still haven't managed to get the young man who entered the building to get the situation under control. Some citizens, or residents of the area or owners of businesses in the center, silently and with their hands in their pockets, follow the many-hour battle that still has no result. Sometimes they are also set in motion and distribute water.
In the charged air that makes it difficult to breathe, you can hear the scream of Arjan Sala's father, who has not yet been found, and could not be saved in time. They ask for help. Accuse. And firefighters coming back blackened with soot, head down and shoulders up can't ease a parent's pain.
The fire that broke out in one of the mall's warehouses once again brought to light the problems faced by the fire service. The underground floor is under the control of this fire and asphyxiation makes entry impossible. Arjan Sala entered there, immediately after finding the sparks, and despite the long hours that seem to encounter the flames second by second, there is nothing new.
His father, Fadil Sala walks around the entrance of the building with tears in his eyes, sometimes sitting on a chair, sometimes held by his arm by relatives. Occasionally large plumes of smoke force him and the others away from the building's entrance, but a moment later he approaches again. Blackened by boredom rather than by the smoke of the flames, he recounts the last words that Arjani said to him during the telephone conversation on Wednesday, and in the meantime he watches the entrances and exits of the firefighters. The son told him "Good to see you at dinner."
He breaks away from his son's words and accuses the firemen who were late to get his son out on time.
In front of the man, the old fire engines are seen arriving and emptying the autobot, the firefighters looking for oxygen and gas canisters can be seen. Some others are waiting to get the oxygen cylinders which run out quickly due to their small number and to be replaced with their colleagues, while to open it from the upper part, equipment that is not in the capacities of the fire service is needed. Even the excavator that serves for the openings of concrete or metal parts appeared on Thursday afternoon.
After 24 hours, the firefighting forces also surrendered and asked for the help of the army, which sent two specialized groups for intervention in fire cases. This once again shows the lack of capacities and equipment of this fire service for events that need specialized intervention.
Same problems
But the tragedy that directly showed the problems and lack of investment in the fire service was the November 26 earthquake. The fire protection and rescue service continues for years with outdated equipment, which often not only does not save lives, but also endangers the lives of employees. After the earthquake, despite the selfless sacrifice of the firefighters who were forced to dig with their hands in the ruins of the destroyed buildings due to the lack of modern equipment, it did not take long to understand the situation of the firefighters.
Underpaid
One of these employees was Luan Kapaj, who came from the city of Vlora to help evacuate the people who were under the ruins of the ruined buildings in the city of Durrës.
For this extraordinary work and for the great help he gave in rescuing two people, the father of two girls also received a decoration from Prime Minister Edi Rama. The 70-year-old has been working as a firefighter for almost 40 years, and life and his profession have faced many difficulties, but the biggest difficulty is that despite all the dedication he gives to this job, he is not paid as he deserves.
For Leo, decorations have no value, if he is not paid for the work he has chosen to do throughout his life.
Kapaj says that since 2016 he has not received his full salary based on legal provisions.
This is exactly one of the biggest problems that fire fighters are facing in all of Albania.
Abuses of the Labor Code
Among the list of major problems faced by firefighters, the non-payment of payments based on the Labor Code, but also based on a Decision of the Council of Ministers dated April 10, 2019.
The independent Firefighters' Union states that the 1250 employees of this sector have not received the usual leaves that are defined by law for several years, but in addition to these, they do not even receive the payments for these leaves. But they also do not receive the salary based on the VKM approved in 2019.
The head of this union, Bledar Bajrami, enumerates all the problems of firefighters.
"For several years, we have not been given and paid the usual leaves. Also, we have not been equipped with the necessary clothing for several years, only in Tirana were clothes given once, while in the districts these are completely absent. Also, the proper equipment is missing", Bajrami says.
Sakaq Barjami ironizes the fact that even though they stayed for days to rescue people after the earthquake of November 26, the government was satisfied with some decorations, but did not give any monetary reward for the tireless and prolonged work of the firefighters.
The accusing witness
ACQJ also contacted a firefighter in the Municipality of Lezha who, due to the fear of dismissal, confesses anonymously that he has not received his salary for 3 years based on legal provisions. He speaks directly about the lack of equipment and clothing that puts everyone's life at risk, leads to delayed service and often the sacrifice of employees during rescue operations.
"I was forced to take a piece of equipment from my house as we needed to intervene in a serious accident", this is what the employee of the fire service in Lezha Municipality says.
For his part, Bajrami qualifies this as a constitutional violation since the VKM signed by the government is not implemented due to an explanation that the general secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Plarent Ndreca, sent to the municipalities in 2019.
"A clarification issued by the General Secretary is taken into account, which is not the first that must be applied, because according to the law, the Constitution, the various Codes, in this case the Labor Code, or the VKM itself, approved in the beginning, are applied first. 10 April 2019", Bajrami, who is also an employee of this service in Tirana, says indignantly.
"Because the law is not applied as it should be or even the Labor Code or the VKM, I am missing 14 thousand lek every month, since my salary based on the above mentioned points should have been 52 thousand new lek, while I only receive 38 thousand new ALL", says the head of the union for ACQJ.
According to this decision taken by Prime Minister Rama, it is said that "the employee with the service rank of the Ministry of Education, for the additional hours of work/service, which are not compensated with vacation, benefits from a salary supplement in the amount:
- a) 25% for each additional working hour/service on a normal working day;
- b) 50% for each additional working hour/service performed during the weekly break;
- c) 25% for each working hour on official holidays;
- ç) 50% for each working hour in operational interventions performed from 22:00 to 06:00."
Violations are also noted with concern by the State Labor Inspectorate. In a communication with the Union, he admitted that: "It is a fact that the annual permits for the employees of the fire service have not been given in full with the claim that there is a shortage of staff". It is also said that "from the verification of the salary calculation statement, we find that the work performed in the second shift and the third shift is not compensated with salary."
Although the Inspectorate has found these violations in the Municipality of Tirana, since April 2019 there has not been any decision against this institution for non-payment of full payments.
Who is to blame?
The Albanian Center for Quality Journalism contacted the director of the Fire Protection and Rescue Service at the Municipality of Tirana, Shkëlqim Goxhaj.
According to director Goxhaj, the Municipality pays only 30% of the employees' salary, while the rest belongs to the Ministry of the Interior, thus delegating the responsibilities to this institution.
Therefore ACQJ also contacted the general director of the fire service, Alfred Kristuli.
Kristuli puts the responsibility on the Municipalities, becoming part of the ping-pong during which the avoidance of responsibilities weighs on the fire service and, consequently, on the citizens.
The head of the Union emphasizes the delay in one institution to another, who suspects that this is a deliberate way of action by the institutions.
While waiting for the permission of gatherings with more than 10 people, Bajrami warns a protest in front of the Prime Minister's office as the last way he sees for the payment problems, since even though he has been in court for 1 year for this issue, it still hasn't brought any change. .
"The only way left for us now, after we have tried all possible legal ways, is to organize a national protest in front of the prime minister to find a solution to this problem that about 1300 families have." Bajrami closes the story.
