Transportation Strike Puts Albania in Lock

18 January 2006

Four thousand bus-drivers started a national transportation strike on January 16, together with about six thousands bus conductors and service and maintenance workers.

Bus drivers in Albania demand from the Government to regulate the transportation sector

The strikers committee has sent a list of requests to the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Finance and the Tirana Civil Centre.

The public transportation workers complaints are directed primarily at the existence of the strong illegal competition by the private citizens that offer unregistered transportation services with vans and private automobiles, below the radar of the tax authorities.

According to unofficial estimates, some 1,900 vans are involved in illegal transport, without proper ticketing service or known list of fees they charge.

The strikers demand that all private transporters install taxi-meters in their vehicles and comply fully to the tax legislation of the country. They said that they will continue with the strike until their demands are met in their entirety.