Prime Minister Edi Rama, who is continuing his meetings in the city of Lushnje, stopped today at the industrial complex where the South Korean company Yura Corporation Albania operates, which today employs around 2,000 workers, up from 300 at the time of its establishment, and aims to further expand its capacity to 3,000 employees.

The Prime Minister praised the high production standards and working conditions, underlining the importance of such investments for economic development and the growth of employment.

In his discussion with employees, Prime Minister Edi Rama focused in particular on the government’s policy of increasing the minimum wage, stressing that this will continue as an important priority for improving citizens’ well-being.

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Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you very much for the hospitality. I remember when we first came here on the day the doors of the first hall were opened. At the beginning, if I am not mistaken, there were 300 workers, and I listened very carefully to the company representatives, who shared with us their ambition to scale up production, and their only concern was whether they would find the necessary workforce.

Naturally, it was not an unfounded concern, but I am extremely pleased that today there are 2,000 employees here, to be precise 1,996, and the ambition is to reach 3,000. I am also pleased that, from all the information we have received about the company, employees’ opinions are positive, and this is shown by the fact that they do not leave the company. It is not just a matter of opinion; it is proven by the fact that they stay.

At this point, what matters most, beyond wages, is that the company ensures all guarantees for employees and, on the other hand, provides additional hours for the third shift, if I am not mistaken, and guarantees the entire system of relations between employees and employer, based on ethical standards, which are in fact the standards every company should have. That is why we are confident that the company will achieve its goal of reaching 3,000 employees.

Meanwhile, we will continue to increase the minimum wage. We have taken this commitment, but we have also committed that, while increasing it, we will support this process with transitional easing phases for employers, so they can adapt to the new level, as we are currently doing, where for the first nine months after the wage increase, social and health insurance contributions are covered by the state fund, not by the employer.

Beyond the reality of this company, we have also come so that, through the cameras and the media, people can see how things are progressing in Albania. In this regard, no one speaks about the reality of companies in Albania. It is as if Albania has no companies, as if Albania has no production.

If you open the information feeds on mobile or television screens, you hear gossip, fabrications, accusations, all kinds of things that concern the boulevard elite of Tirana, but it is rare to hear that in Fier there is a company with 2,000 employees, part of the production network of Kia and Hyundai, which produces here not the old-style subcontracting, but manufacturing to the highest international standards.

You do not hear about it, just as you do not hear about many other things, yet it is precisely this daily reality of work that has placed Albania in a different economic position today; that Albania no longer has a total output of €10 billion, but €27 billion, aiming to reach €35 billion within this decade; that Albania no longer has €300–400 million in foreign investment, as it once did, but has reached €1.6 billion — a significant figure from last year.

This is reflected in the economy and leads to wage increases in both the public and private sectors, increased budget revenues for more investments, and a growing awareness that workers must be respected, not only through wages but also through recognition of years of service, something practised in this company and now established by law in the public sector.

Not because we did not know or did not want to respect it before, but because we did not have the means.

Today, the economy gives us the possibility to ensure that teachers, doctors, police officers, military personnel, and public administration employees see their years of service reflected in their salaries.

Similarly, wage indexation is another new element we have introduced in public sector financing, something we could not do before. The same applies to pension increases and other measures.

So, understanding that you are a small selected group here, because others must work, and I believe you are fine with us since you are sitting and not working, the Koreans are very precise, so they have selected a small group and are probably thinking how to compensate for this hour you are spending with us, but I trust they will not count it as overtime when we leave.

I want to thank you very much and also thank the company representatives for the hospitality. I would kindly ask you, if possible, to pass on our thanks to your Korean colleagues at the back, who, as I understand, have not yet learned either Albanian or the Myzeqe dialect. So, if you can, when we leave, please let them know that we have thanked them as well.

Thank you very, very much, and thanks also to the interpreter.