FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
In Italy, the news that the Italian policemen who will work in the Gjadri camp will stay in a 5-star hotel has caused many reactions. The newspaper "Corriere della Sera" has devoted a report to these policemen, meeting them in the hotel where they are staying. They say that they are there "neither for luxury nor for vacation, but to work".
The full text of "Corriere della Sera"
It is not yet 6 pm and the sun has sunk into the sea, coloring it an intense red. The view is breathtaking as soon as you enter the courtyard of Hotel Rafaelo, in Shengjin, in the north of Albania. From here, between pedestrian walkways and well-maintained hedges, you see the vast complex's various hotels and resorts, modern tower blocks and outdoor swimming pools. There are already police lined up at the self-service restaurant at Rafaelo Executive.
It is here and in the Comfort hotel that the Italian police forces, policemen, carabinieri and financiers are staying, involved in the implementation of the Rome-Tirana protocol for the detention of asylum seekers across the Adriatic. At meal time, about 30 of them are choosing the tray dinner. Pasta all'arrabbiata and in a thousand other ways, pizza, tuna, various salads, various desserts, drinks, without alcohol.
"We can't do otherwise, then our work shift starts," says a policeman. Moro, in his mid-30s, sits alone at one of the many tables covered in light blue velvet in front of a pizzeria. We sit opposite: what work do they do, we would like to know, since the two centers opened to "relocate" immigrants have been empty for two weeks. The young man is scolded by an older colleague who approaches him to shut him up.
Half an hour passes and a group of officers forms outside to smoke. It can't be easy being away and at the center of controversy in Italy, let's just say that. "Here we are out of everything", explains a policeman, with a big mustache and a pleasant air. "We can't talk, I'm sorry" - says one of his colleagues.
Once again, as expected, the mouths are sewn shut. What amazes us, however, is that silence is imposed even on those who do not wear uniform. Antonio, an Albanian with a sporty physique and a frank speech, collaborates with our team. "They don't look like they're on vacation like I heard from Italy, but on the contrary I see them as lost," he said, when he was interrupted by a call from a policeman, standing about 30 meters away from us. So Antonio is also forced to leave us.
In the center of the square, in the courtyard, a 20-meter-high Statue of Liberty promises "hospitality and comfort like at home", while the Koran can be heard: there are also Afghan refugees in the complex due to another agreement signed with the United States initiated by Rama. We arrive at the wellness center: a sequence of small rooms for the Turkish bath and sauna that opens into a large pool. It's deserted, there's only one policeman.
"It has raised a controversy as if the agents are soaking all day. This is certainly not the case. And anyway, the entrance to the bathroom is not included in the fee paid by the state, only the room and food", explains Felice Romano from the Siulp police union. "Our police forces cannot go around armed in Albania and they do not always feel safe in this country of former smugglers".
Furthermore, apart from a few nearby bars, there aren't many places to go in the off-season in this small tourist town. "To get out, they will need their tools which they don't have," explains Pietro Colapietro, general secretary of the Silp Cgil union.
"Service performed abroad always has a concern. And the travel allowance of 100 euros on top of the basic salary only partially compensates for this effort, because it includes everything from weekend work to night and overtime work." As for the controversy over the money spent at the resort, Colapietro says it's bound to happen.
"These centers abroad are very expensive and lack services in the country. We have many reservations about the operation in general, but the choice of hotels is a choice of dignity. These resorts are preferred because they are large enough to accommodate up to 300 agents and because they are closer to the workplace."
That Albanian hotel standards need to be adjusted can also be understood from the fact that there is no phone in the room at Rafaelo Executive. To contact the reception you have to go down to the hall. But this is not enough to soften the anger of the prison police colleagues with service in Gjadër, located in the prefabricated buildings of the mini-prison of the immigration detention and repatriation center. "They should have the right to single rooms, but instead they are doubles and destined to become triples if the project goes ahead," explains Gennarino De Fazio, Uilpa trade unionist.
Lini një Përgjigje