Azer News

Unemployed attack residence of Armenian president

- By Rashid Shirinov

Despite Serzh Sargsyan’s new appointmen­ts to the government, people in Armenia are still skeptical that there will be any strong reforms and the current economic downturn will be stopped.

espite Serzh Sargsyan’s new appointmen­ts to the government, people in Armenia are still skeptical that there will be any strong reforms and the current economic downturn will be stopped.

A group of citizens, who were fed up with the dreadful unemployme­nt that reigns throughout Armenia, held a protest near the residence of the Armenian president recently.

Thus, former employees of the rubber-producing plant Nairit organized a rally on October 4, and then marched to the presidenti­al palace.

The workers demanded to restart the Nairit plant that has been closed more than six years ago, Armenian agency Tert.am reported.

The staff of the Presidenti­al residence let two people in, and they were convinced that the issue will be considered. However, the employees suppose those were false promises again.

Thus, worker Armen Demirchyan was told that a new Minister of Energy and Natural Resources has been appointed, and he will examine this issue.

“We will come to the government building on Thursday,” the workers warned, saying that they will fight till the end to get a job.

The plant, which had produced chloropren­e rubber, was closed back in April 2010 because of not being able to pay wages to its employees. Since then, the Armenian government is looking for possible investors, but in vain.

The unemployme­nt rate in Armenia is still the highest among the CIS countries, making up 19.3 percent, and due to the wrong structure of national economy, new vacancies do not seem to come up in near future.

In addition to terrible unemployme­nt, the wages in the country keep falling down. Decline in public sector made up 3.5 percent as compared to the data of last year. In general, significan­t decrease in salaries has been observed throughout Armenia. Salaries are declining in both public and private sectors, and the Armenian government seems not being able to stop it.

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