The Ararat Cement Plant, owned by the arrested businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, will resume operations after a 4-day halt:
This morning, employees who had been effectively on forced leave gathered outside the plant for a protest. Shortly thereafter, investigators and police arrived, and later the Deputy Minister of Economy also came. Behind closed doors, they negotiated with the company's management, and later Deputy Minister Edgar Zakaryan announced that the plant would be launched and would operate at full capacity starting tomorrow:
“Now the plant is starting its operations; we hope that in a few hours, minor technical obstacles will be resolved, and from tomorrow it will operate in full mode, probably even sooner than tomorrow, but from tomorrow it will be fully operational,” Zakaryan said:
On Monday morning, alongside the arrest of Gagik Tsarukyan and searches of his residence, law enforcement also sealed off Armenia's 82nd largest company, the Ararat Cement Plant, and until today there was no information on when the large industrial company would operate again. Today, Deputy Minister of Economy Zakaryan announced that the government has decided to resume production without hindering legal processes:
Meanwhile, about 1000 employees of the company had no information for four days about what would happen to them, when they would return to work, and whether they would receive their salaries. This morning, they gathered in front of the plant demanding answers:
Today is July 9, and the employees have not yet received their salaries:
Protesting employees shared this morning that their families live on their salaries, with one earning up to 170-180 thousand drams, while another slightly more, and they have debts and loans, asking what they will do:
In fact, it was only after today's protest that it was decided to resume production. While the employees were raising these questions, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan openly threatened the employees of “Ararat Cement,” insisting that “those acting on orders will be dismissed”:
“Those who engage in such actions, that is, exert pressure on people and so on, trying to push them into actions, will be dismissed... yes, I am threatening, in essence,” Pashinyan said:
During the pre-election campaign, Nikol Pashinyan announced his intention to nationalize the Ararat Cement Plant. Today, he also stated that a temporary manager would be appointed there, but did not specify by what procedures and legal grounds, who and in what time frames they would be appointed. Last year, “Ararat Cement” paid more than 6.2 billion drams in taxes:
