Former employees of the public enterprise Trepca are accusing the company’s current management of demotion and unfair termination of employment contracts, as reported by KosovaPress.

Former Trepca employee Valdete Shabani, in a statement to KosovaPress, has raised accusations against the management of the enterprise, claiming demotion in position, repeated transfers and unfair termination of her employment contract.

She stated that she had been employed at Trepca since 2011 until November 2025, during which time she held various positions, mainly in Administration and Finance, carrying out her duties successfully and being evaluated as a distinguished worker.

“I was employed at the Trepca enterprise since 2011 until November 2025. From 2011, I worked in different positions, mostly in the Administration and Finance department. From that time, I have always completed all tasks assigned by supervisors with great success and have always been considered a distinguished worker. Until January 2024, when the new management came, consisting of director Shyqyri Sadiku, CEO Faton Ahmeti, legal director Arianit Voca as well as the disciplinary commission and the Complaints Commission. In September 2024, I had my first transfer, where I was removed from the flotation department, Tunnel One, and sent to Zinc Metallurgy. There, I was demoted and sent to a workplace with very difficult conditions,” said Shabani.

According to her, after filing complaints in court and with the inspectorate, management took further measures against her, transferring her again to another unit with more difficult conditions and considerable distance.

“When management realized that I had started filing complaints in court and with the inspectorate, they made another transfer, sending me from Mitrovica to the Kishnica Unit, which is about 100 km round trip. When I was sent there, I was again demoted, my salary was reduced, and I can say that I was at risk every day at that workplace. There I suffered an injury, and even after receiving treatment, management returned me to the same position, meaning they did nothing to change my workplace, even though they understood that my injury was a result of their decisions, since they had sent me to that unit,” said Valdete Shabani.

Shabani emphasized that she pursued legal avenues, receiving decisions in her favor from the court and filing complaints with the inspectorate, which according to her found violations by the enterprise.

She added that the justification for the transfers, according to management, was related to restructuring needs, but according to her, these were not based on facts.

Regarding these claims, another former Trepca employee, Bahri Brahimi, raised similar concerns, linking the termination of his contract to his health condition and medical leave.

He stated that he had been employed since 2019, while his contract was terminated in 2025, after a period when he had serious health problems.

According to him, although he had opened medical leave and had proper documentation, the enterprise summoned him to a disciplinary commission and then terminated his employment contract.

“When I opened medical leave in the enterprise, everything was in order, but they sent me an invitation in the eighth month—I don’t know the exact date—to appear before the disciplinary commission and then terminated my contract. They claimed that I had not been at work, but in fact I was on medical leave, and that is why they terminated my contract. Their claim was that I had been absent for 59 days. Normally, 20 days are foreseen, plus there is also unpaid medical leave. Yes, unpaid leave—I did not receive a single cent from the enterprise. I did not want to harm the enterprise. There are others who have been absent from work every month—I have documents to prove it. I did not even ask for a salary, not because I wanted to, but because I had to, as the doctor had determined,” said Bahri Brahimi.

On the other hand, Trepca CEO Faton Ahmeti stated that transfers and terminations were carried out according to company rules, aiming to protect workers with health issues and regulate payroll lists.

“In reality, we have had workers here who have not come to work for years, and we have dealt with these cases in order to clean the payroll list from those who do not come to work, without mentioning specific names. After identifying this situation in the Trepca enterprise, we created a Complaints Commission of three members and a Disciplinary Commission of three members. Human resources initiate the process, and as CEO I only allow the process to continue based on alleged violations, while the disciplinary commission decides independently based on facts and arguments,” said Faton Ahmeti.

Ahmeti added that movements within the enterprise do not constitute demotion, but are based on medical diagnoses and occupational health recommendations, aiming to preserve jobs and protect workers’ health.

The dismissals, demotions and repeated transfers of former employees Valdete Shabani and Bahri Brahimi have raised debate over the management of Trepca, while its leaders insist that every decision was made in accordance with rules and medical recommendations.