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Sanitary workers in Elbasan have long worked under poor conditions, with low wages and limited influence over their working conditions. Many of them belong to Roma and Egyptian minorities – and work in a sector that is often undervalued despite its crucial role in society.
Through organising and dialogue, workers, civil society organisations and trade union actors succeeded in improving conditions during 2025.
The organisation Youth Roma and Egyptian Movement (YREM) brought workers together to document the problems and formulate joint demands for fair wages and better compensation for night work. Ahead of May Day, YREM brought together Elbasan municipality, sanitary companies and trade unions to discuss the situation.
The dialogue led to concrete results – waste transport workers’ pay rose of 12.5 percent, along with a pledge of a 37.5 percent increase for day work and 50 percent for night work for street cleaners.
The agreement means better incomes for sanitary workers and marks an important step towards stronger social dialogue between workers, companies and local authorities.
Strike gave Albanian oil workers a stronger voiceAlbanian oil workers at the Chinese company Bankers Petroleum has, over the year, mobilised for better conditions and respect for collective agreements.
Over 60 percent of members took part in the demonstrations and a three-week strike, whilst several workers also went on hunger strike.
The workers, organised in the Union of the Hydrocarbon Sector, protested against low wages, delayed payments and the failure to comply with collective agreements. When dialogue with the company failed to yield results, the mobilisation intensified, which quickly attracted national attention.
The increased pressure and intensification led to the Labour Inspectorate and the Ministry of Economy stepping in as mediators. The parties reached an initial agreement on a financial review of the company’s operations as a basis for addressing the demands.
The Palme Center contributed through international solidarity and advocacy work.
Although the process is still ongoing, the mobilisation has already strengthened the workers’ self-confidence, highlighted working conditions in the oil industry and contributed to a stronger social dialogue.
Civil society in Albania strengthen dialogue on labour lawWhen changes in Albanias labour law were adopted in 2024, the process drew strong criticism. The legislative changes were implemented without sufficient dialogue, which caused concern among employees and trade unions.
The Palme Center’s partner organisation Center for Labor Rights (CLR) drew attention to the shortcomings of this process through analyses, advocacy work and dialogue with responsible institutions. They also lodged a formal complaint with the country’s commisioner, who initiated an investigation of the legislative process.
The investigation showed that the requirements for consultation with affected actors had not been met. It was therefore recommended that the government strengthen the consultation process and involve the labour market to a greater extent through the national labour council.
As a result of CLR’s work, the responsible ministry is now committed to improving dialogue with civil society and trade unions in the event of future changes to labour legislation. This marks an important step towards more transparent decision-making processes and stronger empowerment for workers in Albania.
