Arian Tahiri: Tragedies at KEK Show Institutions’ Failure to Protect Workers

Democratic Party of Kosovo MP Arian Tahiri criticized the government for its failure to respond and exercise control over safety in public institutions and enterprises. At a press conference, he said that the deaths of two KEK workers within three days, following injuries sustained at work, demonstrated the need for immediate intervention by the responsible institutions.

According to Tahiri, behind these events are families left without their loved ones. He mentioned the case of Arben Ahmeti, who died on August 20 while transporting 6 kV cables. Four days earlier, on August 16, Haxhi Gojnovci, a mining technician, died near an excavator. On July 15, Milazim Binaku also died at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo as a result of injuries sustained on July 8 at the Mining Equipment Factory in Palaj. Meanwhile, on February 27, Migjen Sadiku died on the premises of the “Kosova B” Thermal Power Plant.

Tahiri said the victims had gone to work to provide income for their families, but never returned home. He stressed that behind each of these names are mothers waiting, wives left alone and children trying to understand why their fathers did not return.

The PDK MP recalled that the government had centralized the inspection system through the creation of the Office of the Inspector General within the Office of the Prime Minister. However, he said that when tragic cases occur, the institutions avoid responsibility.

“The government cannot run and, at the same time, oversee public enterprises, and then claim that it bears no responsibility. When increased production and progress are being discussed, officials come forward to express their pride, while in the face of deaths they hide behind the facilities and premises of power. Since these cases occurred at a public enterprise under the direct control of the state, they constitute evidence of institutional failure. If the state is unable to protect its own workers, then how can it claim to protect the lives and rights of workers in the private sector?” Tahiri declared.

He emphasized that workplace safety cannot rely solely on condolences. According to him, it requires established standards, regular and independent inspections, preventive measures, enforcement of the law and institutional accountability before another life is lost.

Since, according to him, these cases cannot be discussed in the Assembly of Kosovo and parliamentary committees, Tahiri called on the Government of Kosovo, the relevant ministry, the Labor Inspectorate and the Kosovo Energy Corporation to provide financial support to the victims’ families. He also called for immediate, comprehensive and independent inspections; the identification and elimination of workplace risks; stronger measures for worker safety and protection; and guarantees that such incidents will not happen again.