Within the framework of the topic of internal solidarity and social justice, today I want to talk about a very important issue and express my and our team’s clear position.

Different groups of society express emotional and conflicting opinions about the bonuses given to officials and civil servants. This topic, in addition to high-ranking officials, concerns tens of thousands of our citizens working in the state system, their families, and is related to a wide range of social issues that are important and should be taken into account. Over the years, tens of thousands of people have created their own expense account, many have taken out loans, and possible political changes for many of them are as desirable as they are creating internal tension.

We discussed this issue as a team, from all angles, and our principled approach is:

Employees of the state system should receive bonuses, employees of the state system should have both high salaries and bonuses, serious social guarantees.

At the same time, a clear mechanism for the fair distribution of bonuses and allowances should be in place. It cannot be the case that the minister receives 7-8 million drams as a bonus, while other employees of the same ministry or system receive 20-50 thousand, 100 thousand drams. A teacher cannot receive a salary of 120,000 drams, when the minister receives several million drams at once. This is very unfair.

My basic approach is: rewards should not be dependent on the whim of one person, that person should distribute among his own people, those who serve him personally, and share the remaining 90 percent with whatever is left under him. This is unacceptable.

The order of bonus payments must be fixed by law and be fair.

The state system is the backbone of the state, and its effective work will significantly change the attitude of citizens towards the state. The state system must have decent income (including bonuses) so that it does not look the other way, in the hands of any rich person, or its mind and thoughts are not about its personal problems.

Most importantly, the employees of the state system should be protected so that no new government comes and does a personnel massacre by employing “ours” or its party members. The system of civil servants should not be subject to the whims of various officials.

Gagik Tsarukyan

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