Protesters in Armenia demand their salaries
By Rashid Shirinov
Money problems have plagued whole Armenia, a poor South Caucasus country with the public debt of over $5 billion.
While the state officials buy expensive business class air tickets worth several hundred dollars, ordinary people suffer from unemployment and those, who work, fight for getting salaries.
In order to somehow improve the crisis situation, Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan recently instructed to reduce by 30 percent the funds allocated from the state budget for business trips in 2016.
The state bodies of Armenia will now be able to spend 141.5 million drams ($297,700) for business trips till the end of 2016. This limit has been approved at the session of the Armenian government on August 18. However, local media reports that the officials still waste funds of the budget buying business class air tickets and reserving high-class hotels for their trips.
On the other side of Armenian realities people live at the edge of poverty. Another proof of that is the recent rally held by former employees of Nairit plant near the building of the Armenian government on August 18. They demanded a meeting with Hovik Abrahamyan to discuss the issue of restarting the plant and providing payment of extra salary accumulated due to the delay of their wages, Armenian media reported.
“If the plant restarts, we will have a stable income, which will let us take care of our families. We have worked for 34 years, but today we live in poverty,” said the factory worker, Norik Kagramanyan.
Employees of Nairit plant claimed that the administration of the plant made them sign an agreement stating that workers refuse the extra money accumulated as a result of wage arrears. But now they gathered together to demand justice and get their wages.
As for President Serzh Sargsyan, he tries as much as possible to stay beyond his country and its problems, most of which were caused right by his wrong policy.
During the dramatic seizure of the police station in Yerevan, Armenia was virtually without its president. When the situation subsided, Sargsyan emerged, held a couple of meetings and immediately left for Moscow. Following that, he suddenly set off over the ocean to Brazil, for an imaginary working trip. Currently, the Armenian president is on vacation, part of which he will spend abroad, Sargsyan's press service stated.
All these actions caused discontents in Armenian society. Armenians claim that Sargsyan is trying to delay the return to the country due to the fear of uncomfortable questions and need of giving clarification to the situation in the country. Apparently, he tries to shift the responsibility to other members of the authorities, who, by the way, cannot find any further excuse for Armenian population on the foolish actions of their government.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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