New KEK Trade Union: Safety measures must not begin only after tragedies

The New KEK Trade Union has reacted following the death of a KEK worker, who lost his life today after coming into contact with electrical voltage while performing his duties.

According to a notice issued by KEK, the worker, identified by the initials A.A., was transporting and relocating 6 kV cables when he came into contact with electricity and suffered serious injuries.

According to the New KEK Trade Union, this is another incident that raises serious concerns about workplace safety. During 2026 alone, four KEK workers lost their lives in workplace accidents: Mixhen Sadiku, Milazim Binaku, Haxhi Gojnovci and Arbenit Ahmeti.

The union says that every tragic incident is followed by reactions from the management, the Board, the ministry and other institutions. In such cases, condolences are offered, measures are promised and explanations are requested, while attention focuses on workplace safety for a few days.

“Our question is direct: why do institutions react only after a tragedy occurs?” the statement says.

According to the union, risks are not being anticipated, and no system is being established to identify and eliminate them before they cause loss of life.

“The accident is allowed to happen, then we react, issue statements and, after some time, everything is forgotten until the next tragedy,” the New KEK Trade Union emphasizes.

The organization considers that the problem is not related only to technical safety, but also to the way KEK is managed and its workplace culture.

“Management based more on pressure, fear and punitive measures than on communication, motivation and respect for the worker can rightly be called repressive and demotivating management,” the statement says.

The union stresses that a worker engaged in dangerous conditions must feel safe saying, “This job is unsafe,” without fear of the consequences.

“The worker must be heard before an accident, not merely remembered after the tragedy has occurred,” the New KEK Trade Union emphasizes.

“Safety does not begin after an accident. It begins before one.

Management, the Board, the ministry and all responsible structures must move from reacting after an incident to preventing it beforehand.

Four lives lost in just one year should serve as a serious alarm for everyone.

Mixhen Sadiku, Milazim Binaku, Haxhi Gojnovci and Arbenit Ahmeti must not remain merely names in a condolence statement and then be forgotten.

The memory of them must be transformed into responsibility, concrete measures and a change in the way safety and workers are managed.

We no longer want reactions after tragedies.

We want action before the next life is lost,” the New KEK Trade Union says in its reaction.