The SafeJournalists Network (SJN) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) expressed their deep concern regarding the serious allegations of labor rights violations affecting journalists and media workers at Ora Sh.a. in today’s letter of concern sent to representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance, State Labour Inspectorate, AMA, Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AAPSK) and Ombudsman. This broadcaster has been under state administration in Albania since September 2023.
On June 19, 2025, ten former employees of Ora Sh.a. submitted an official complaint to Albanian state institutions, detailing systematic breaches of labor laws and practices. These allegations include:
- Unlawful collective dismissals impacting approximately 80 media workers between 2024 and 2025 without adherence to legal procedures.
- Forced resignations and immediate terminations without the required legal notice.
- Unjustified removal from official employment registers, preventing employees from exercising their legal rights.
- Systematic failure by Ora Sh.a. to pay mandatory social security and health insurance contributions from 2022 to 2025, in direct violation of Albanian legislation, specifically laws No. 7703/1993 and No. 10383/2011.
- Concerns regarding potential exclusion of former employees from ongoing bankruptcy proceedings of Ora Sh.a., potentially jeopardizing their legal rights to compensation and due process.
In letter, we urged the responsible institutions to:
- Promptly investigate the allegations raised by the former employees of Ora Sh.a.
- Ensure full compliance by Ora Sh.a. and its administration with national labor laws, including timely payments of mandatory social and health contributions.
- Guarantee transparency in the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, ensuring that the legal and financial rights of the former employees are protected.
- Hold accountable all parties responsible for these serious violations of labor rights.
Protecting the labor rights of journalists and media workers is critical not only to uphold basic human rights but also to safeguard media freedom and democracy in Albania.
The Letter of concern find here.
SafeJournalists Network
BH Journalists Association
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
Croatian Journalists Association
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
Independent Journalists Association of Serbia
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
The source: IJAS
Photo by: Canva, ilustracija
