Stop/ Leave the fashion workers without wages, the Turkish owner and the administrator disappear

2023-06-28 21:36:22, Denoncim CNA

Stop/ Leave the fashion workers without wages, the Turkish owner and the

The program "Stop" on TV Klan traveled to Gjirokastra after the complaint of 30 workers of a fashion factory who were not paid for the months of February and March of this year. It is about the Turkish fashion house "Ozkurakan Albania" with administrator Erjon Tahiraj.

"This is my (sewing) machine that I worked for 8 hours without leaving my seat and since February and March I haven't received the Lek and the insurance part ," says an employee.

The manager Blerina Kënaci explains to us how she met the administrator and how the work started. In January, there were problems with payments, problems that followed in February and March by not repaying the contributions.

Fashion manager: The administrator came here and asked for a person in charge of the work responsibility and to keep the work rules. He only asked for this. He said he will handle the administration himself from Fieri. He expected that there would be a branch of his own in Gjirokastra, that is, it would be the branch of Fier. We came, I started with 5-6 workers at the beginning, we reached the capacity up to 30 workers. I work regularly until January. In January, he had those problems for Lek with a report to the police, he barely paid us. He didn't give us February or Mars. Workers normally looking for their money and sweat. He says that I will give it to him, but when and how... April-May the work is closed, we don't work anymore. Until 1 month ago, I contacted him and he said don't worry, we will give him the money without any problem and nice words, but we haven't received any money. Neither I nor the workers. The owner was Turkish. It came here. We worked, we sent the work to Fier every week and that's how it worked. Various sewing. We sewed Waikiki pants, we sewed Philipp Plein sweatshirts, we sewed Italian shirts, we sewed endlessly.

The ladies show that they have also sewn for prestigious brands and were paid a minimum of 350-380 thousand old Lek per month.

"I have been working for 7 months and now for the last two months we have not been paid. February and March".

"I also have Janari, I called Erjon on the phone and he told me that he doesn't work at all in the system. "Talk to Blerina," he said.

Fashion manager: For every worker who came to me, I took the identity card and sent it to Erjon, the economist started it and started it directly to him to put it in the insurance. I don't know how it worked with him and what he did. When I saw what he gave me insurance and what he didn't give me, I saw it from January when he opened problems for us about paying the salary.

"My salary was 350 thousand Lek".

"In the beginning it was 270, then it depends. Philipp Plein's sweatshirt came and whoever worked the hardest got the most."

"340 and I haven't received either January, February or March".

"We used to take 300 in the bank and take the rest in hand".

But how did the employees do when they did not receive the payment?

"They have been the most difficult months."

"We have 3 children. My husband has no job, I have no job, too bad".

"I am on the verge of retirement, I came here to complete 1 year of work".

Fashion manager: Philipp Plein was taken, he ran away. They took it, ran away and did not give us the money.

From Gjirokastra, the Stop journalist went to Fier, after referring to the extract of the CKB, the subject "Ozkurkan Albania" with administrator Erjon Tahiraj has the address in Sheq i Madh neighborhood. There the journalist met his father Yzeir Tahiraj, but he says that he has no contact with the boy, and even asks the journalist for help to find him.

Reporter: I came because your son was in business. In Gjirokastra, 30 workers were left unpaid in February and March, as well as without paying their social and health insurance obligations.

Journalist: Your son must repay the debts!

Yzeir Tahiraj: I told him, I am waiting for that fraudster from Turkey every day.

Journalist: Why didn't your son report it then, since he fell prey to fraud?

Yzeir Tahiraj: My son is part of them. They deceived him, but he didn't listen to me.

Reporter: Can you tell us where the boy is?

Yzeir Tahiraj: Your son is in Tirana, there.

Reporter: Will you give me a contact number so I can contact him?

Yzeir Tahiraj: I can't connect either.

Yzeir Tahiraj: Now it catches your eye. Is my son Erjoni?

Journalist: He didn't give you his number?

Yzeir Tahiraj: Well, he didn't give it to me!

Journalist: If you find it, you would do me a favor and give me a contact number.

Yzeir Tahiraj: Shall we find the boy?

Journalist: Wow, this is beautiful, very beautiful!

Fier Taxes say that the information is reserved and a written request is required.

Afterwards, the Stop journalist received information at the local tax office of Gjirokastër Municipality, where the director Çiljeta Metaj explained that she opened a secondary address in September 2022 and has about 3 million Lek of old liabilities.

"A secondary address has been opened from the KKB data in the neighborhood "18 Shtatori". This secondary address was opened on 27.9.2022. As a subject, he did not appear to complete the documentation and to open the file for this subject at the municipal offices. For the year 2022, for those 3 months, it is 109.3 Lek and for the year 2023 it is in the amount of 303 Lek, we are talking about 3 million old. We did the verifications in the field and this entity does not exist, the doors are closed based on the address that the inspector got from the website of the KKB. It does not appear", says an official of the Municipality of Gjirokastra.

Field inspectors have found the subject closed. In the end, Stop also went to the Economic Crime and Labor Inspectorate. Inspector Silvana Selimi says that they have closed the inspection without any results, while the police say that they have referred the materials to the prosecutor's office.

Gjirokastra Labor Inspectorate: Contribution payments for the month of February have been made, only for the months of March and February is the salary payment that has not been made yet. We have closed the case, the final decision has been taken, which is also an administrative document to serve these employees in case it will be followed by the court. The administrator, during the closing of the procedure, has closed the phone calls, we have not communicated with him./ tvklan