Kurum Bankruptcy Leaves 1000 Workers Jobless

03 February 2006

The Turkish Company "Kurum" closed down its operations in Elbasan, a move that resulted in the laying off of 1000 workers. The reason for the closing, according to Kurum, lies with the high price of electricity. Kurum (steel and metallurgy industry) was charged to pay 9 Lek per kW/h of electricity, while the other companies in the region pay less than half that price.

Steel Mills closing will stop the horredous pollution in Elbasan.

Another reason for the closing is found in the falling production of steel, caused by the low taxes on imported steel and the fact that Albanian Government is not taking the necessary measures to act on the company's demands.

On the other hand, the disagreements between the Turkish company and the Government provide additional burden on the employees, who are now faced with the consequences of unemployment. The Trade Union demanded from the Company to fulfil its Contract with the Government and continue working until 2010, or they would start a general strike in Elbasan and Tirana.

The Elbasan environmentalists say that at least the environment is not suffering from the catastrophic pollution, having in mind that �Kurum� never really invested seriously into filtering equipment.