Zhakharyan breaks promise: Nairit staff to get only 2 months’ back wages

Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Yervand Zakharyan met with workers of Nairit chemical plant today. During a talk with Aysor.am,   a spokeswoman for Nairit, Anush Harutyunyan, did not consider the meeting outcome reassuring: earlier the plant workers were promised repayment of their back wages by late 2014, but the situation is different now.

“Minister Zakharyan told us that we would receive one-month back wages in the next few days, and back wages for another month will be paid in December. As regards promises to pay the full amount by the end of the year, we were informed today that at the moment there are no legal grounds for repaying the full amount,” A. Harutyunyan said, adding that in December, Nairit staff will get their wages only after the 20th of December.

When asked what the plant workers are going to do, Anush Harutyunyan replied their trade union made a statement to the effect that unless their wages are paid by December 15, they will appeal to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. 

“It is incomprehensible that there were legal grounds a month ago, but now they are absent,” the spokeswoman said.