Albania’s Footwear Industry Has the Lowest Wages in the Region

TIRANA, November 30

Albanians working in the footwear industry have the worst-paying job compared to the other countries of the region and European Union member countries. Albania ranks first regarding the lowest wage per hour as they are paid Euro 0.8 per hour. Said in another way, an Albanian employee must work 63 hours in order to pay a pair of shoes that cost Euro 50 while the same employee in the United Kingdom has to work only six hours.

Footwear workers in Albania are the most exploited, they work more and are get less money. These data were unveiled in a recent report published by an organization that is financed by the European Union. The purpose of the survey was to find the real cost of work in the footwear industry in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The first three have an important role in the production and export of shoes in the European market. There have been cases in Romania, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina where employees didn’t get even a minimal payment.
One out of  three Albanian employees said that they didn’t reach the minimal wage level even if they work beyond normal working hours. In the meantime, women said that in some occasions they work even on Saturdays and it is considered a normal day of work and they didn’t get extra pay.

News Source: Scan TV

Photo Credit: kryeministria.al