Independent lawmaker Taguhi Tovmasyan reports that dozens of employees of Sotk gold mine have blocked the roadway and the railway leading to the mine, demanding the payment of their full salaries.
"I received complaints from the mine employees that they have not received their full salaries in the past few months and had been told that their salaries had been cut due to the drop of mine production volumes. The employees learn about the actual size of their salaries only in the end of the month and it appears to be 4-5 times less to compare with their previous salaries. Yesterday, they have been received by the Executive Director of the mine operator 'GeoProMining Gold” LLC Anatoly Gogotin, however, their demands have not been solved," Tovmasyan added.
According to the lawmaker, the employees may no longer cover daily expenses and also face difficulties in paying back the bank loans. Considering the post-war difficulties, the lawmaker expects the attention of all relevant state bodies and circles with leverage to address the matter and support the people who have incurred in a difficult situation.
The lawmaker also reminded that around 300 employees of the gold mine were dismissed in the past months after significant parts of the mine were ceded to Azerbaijan when the Armenian troops handed over Karvachar district as part of the trilateral ceasefire statement signed on November 10 last year.