Reaction: "The Blast at Ferronikel"

On Monday evening there was a large explosion at Ferronikel probably the largest one in the history of this industrial facility. The results of this explosion are yet to be observed.

The Centre of Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! in Drenas announced that four workers were injured in the blast. They are Hysni Podrimçaku, Halit Gashi, Nexhmedin Sallahu and Skënder Nika.

The blast is the result of extreme privatization policies implemented by the government but opposed strongly by citizens and workers. Once a large economic facility in Kosova,  Ferronikel has become a monster, constantly jeopardising the lives of its workers and the lives of citizens in Drenas, because of the toxic contamination and miserable work and manufacturing conditions in the plant, that lead to frequent explosions.

Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! has been involved in workers’ and syndicates’ protests and has denounced the privatisation of Ferronikel by this foreign corporation since it ignored the overall economic situation in Kosova, the public interest, the life and work of those who made a major contribution to the development of the iron and nickel industry.

This privatisation, the result of governmental spin-off with abusive corporations, robs the citizen of Kosova by subsidising privatisation with the money of our taxpayers and paying energy at a very cheap price.

Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! wishes all the injured workers a quick recovery, stating that better days will not come if citizens and workers do not organise themselves and claim responsibility from corporations that exploit, like Ferronikel, and governmental institutions which have ignored this cruel exploitation occurring in the 21th century.

In addition those who are responsible for the blast should be brought to justice for risking the lives of the workers and citizens who live near the facility.

Effective measures can be taken to prevent injuries at work and to cure Kosova from concept of economic governance now devalued in all Western countries. Those measures include: A fundamental revision of the process of privatisation, condemning the disrespect of regulations and procedures of privatisation, the implementation of laws and regulations regarding work conditions should be mandatory, designing a national strategy for industrial development that views the state not just as arbiter but as actor and factor in the development of industry.