Armenia’s Nairit workers to get a month- wage arrears paid within two days

YEREVAN, November 29. /ARKA/. The wage arrears for a month will have been paid to the workers of Armenia’s Nairit synthetic rubber plant by Friday, the spokeswoman for Nairit Anush Harutyunyan told ARKA on Thursday.

The plant’s workers marched to the presidential residence demanding their 11 months unpaid wages. At the residence they were told that president Sargsyan could not accept them because at that moment he was on visit to Lebanon. 

However, the energy and natural resources minister of Armenia Movsisyan pledged to pay 2-3-month debt by the end of the year. 

“The workers are likely to receive their month- wage tonight. The second wage will be paid on 20 December,” the spokeswoman said. 

She also denied the information disseminated by Hraparak newspaper, that stated the workers couldn’t communicate with the media sources via phones as the discipline had been made stricter. 

“This is an absurd. The plant workers are normally communicating and using cell phones. As to dismissal cases due to communication with media sources, according to the article in the newspaper, I absolutely deny it, there has never been something like that,” Harutyunyan said.

In 2010, the employees of the plant staged a picket in front of the presidential administration demanding their unpaid salaries. The wage arrears were merely paid under the order of the president. 

Nairit plant was closed in 1989 for ecological reasons, but resumed partial operation in 1992-93. In 2006 some 90 % of its shares were sold to a British-registered Rainoville Property Limited at $40 million. The Armenian government has a 10 percent stake in the Soviet-built company, which has repeatedly changed owners over the past two decades. Minister Movsisyan would say that the plant’s reconstruction may cost up to $400-500 million.-0-