Minister Luka: In three months we will meet the demands of miners

Luka has indicated before the media that under the agreement reached by the miners' demands will be met within the next three months. Although he has also said social benefits required by miners should be revised, even with financial experts, to see how the state budget is implemented for their realisation.

The Agreement was reached after an intensive working time that we had with Trepca's management with the Union, and as a result at the conclusion we have already found a way to continue the road and meet some of the requirements. The deal envisions not allowing the involvement of certain additional assets as is the Zinc metallurgy, including some of the provisions that have been missed because there are certain areas of particular interest, and we have established a working group that will deal with social benefits. Social Benefcy means what they've asked for must be revised and seen financial impact and then assessed the continuation. All of this, we have set a deadline that is three months or 90 days that we believe is enough to do our jobs as Government and to reach a final decision to regulate this issue. We know that miners have been promised that 20 years for their status, for Trepca's development, were repeatedly promised, but they were really left behind for a while, and now we are in a time that we want to give permanent solutions to all issues that are problematic for them”, Luka said.

The minister has talked more about social benefits, which have asked Trepca miners, within the framework of the five-day strike they have held.

Luka has said it is early retirement and life insurance, but according to him financial experts should provide their analysis.

“We've also discussed issues of social benefits and we, I've already said in the media that early retirement is a standard thing used for miners working underground, and we know that today our mines are 800 meters underground and the conditions for more operation are really difficult and it can't go up to 65 years of retirement, but these are some things that are disks, there are some health insurance benefits, some such benefits that, even knowledge of the stage, which we believe, and we have no agreement that we have a time to continue now. Once again, I thank the chairman of the Union who was pro-active, loud in principle as a member of the Trepca Board, who has constantly raised their issues and did not allow the degradation of Trepca”, he said.

The chairman of the Association of Mine Ministers “Trepca” and simultaneously members of the company's board, Shyqri Sadiku, meanwhile called the agreement reached with the victory government for Trepca and all of Kosovo.

“We, after five days of long and painful strike, jointly reached an agreement that the miners' demands and aspirations will be realised, and those demands of the miners will all be realised within three months. We've always raised our voice, both as union and as board members to preserve Trepca, defend Trepca, and our goal has always been to protect Trepca and that goal has been achieved because Trepca has been very dangerous by that draft statute that has had to ride into the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo. I, along with you a great victory has been achieved, this thank you to Trepca miners who for five consecutive days have been striking and their goal has been achieved, and this fact is that Trepca is protected and is not only a victory of Trepca but also of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, it is the final of Kosovo”, he said.

Asked by journalists if they accept pensions under 70 per cent of the pay as requested, Sadiku said they are now in talks with the Government and that I cannot talk about something without spending the three-month term, but their demand for 70 per cent of their retirement salary is reasonable.