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NO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IN ARMENIA ANYMORE
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Jan 21 2014
21 January 2014 - 11:09am
David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
>From January 1, 2014, according to the Law On Employment adopted by
the Parliament in last December, no unemployment benefits will be paid
in Armenia. Thanks to this brilliant idea, the government intended to
stimulate the country's unemployed to work for peanuts. As a matter of
fact, the wages paid by the oligarchs from the government to service
employees were so miserable that Armenians preferred receiving a
compensation of, for instance, 25,000 drams to working 12 hours a
day 7 days a week for 50,000 drams ($110). In this case they got
deprived of the compensation and, despite the miserable wage, made
to pay taxes, pension contribution and of course, the notorious 5%
to receive pension themselves one day.
That's why the oligarchs from the government welcomed this initiative
of the authorities. As paradoxical as it may seem, but in Armenia
there is a real deficit of workers. There are vacancies for such jobs
as workers, cashiers, sellers, waiters, security guards, maintenance
staff, drivers, public service employees etc. And the owners of
numerous banks, supermarkets and other "objects" often complained
that their possible employees are so "full of themselves" that they
don't want to work, preferring to receive the unemployment. According
to Artem Asatryan, Minister of Labor and Social Issues, one of the
priorities for 2014 will be the introduction of a new employment model,
which will include implementation of about 10 programs. In particular,
there will be employment provision for those who are competitive on
the labor market. To put it more simple, all unemployed people, having
been deprived of the unemployment benefits, will be forced to bow down
to employers, most of whom are government officials and oligarchs, and
work for 100-150 dollars a month. Meanwhile, just the cost of gas and
electricity consumed in Yerevan in the unprecedentedly cold December,
is almost twice higher. It is quite obvious why the government never
wonders how people have to survive with such wages. The government
turned out to care only about the interests of the few people who make
millions and billions, depriving the vast majority of Armenia of crust.
Another question is where actually go the super-profits of the
oligarchs from the government. What are they used for? According
to the recently published research of Global Financial Integrity,
just over the last 6 years the outflow of capital from Armenia
reached 6.2 billion dollars. It is clear that it couldn't have been
the employees who pumped the money abroad: they barely survive. The
billions flowed out of Armenia with a helping hand from officials on
the take and owners of oligopolies, which have been thriving to the
disadvantage of the society, thanks to the government. This makes one
wonder rightfully: what on earth are the reasons for the oligarchs
to pump the capitals overseas, if they are so at ease in Armenia? The
answer is obvious: none of the newly rich Armenian snobs doesn't know
today what awaits them tomorrow. Won't the power that has created
such conditions for them shift in one day?
Meanwhile, all those billions might have been invested in the
stagnating Armenian economy, in production, in the development of
small and medium enterprises. It would give a possibility to find
a decent job not only for the unemployed who have been deprived
of their miserable benefits, but also to hundreds of thousands of
Armenian citizens who are forced to search for jobs abroad. However
the authorities continue with their ostrich policy, hiding their
heads in a bush and preferring not to see the obvious things. As
a result, while Armenia has a 4-billion external debt and keeps
reaching out for new credits to postpone the default, the billions
robbed by the government oligarchs are being smuggled out of country,
and the unemployed get deprived of their miserable benefits. That's
the paradox of the Armenian reality.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/50147.html
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Jan 21 2014
21 January 2014 - 11:09am
David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
>From January 1, 2014, according to the Law On Employment adopted by
the Parliament in last December, no unemployment benefits will be paid
in Armenia. Thanks to this brilliant idea, the government intended to
stimulate the country's unemployed to work for peanuts. As a matter of
fact, the wages paid by the oligarchs from the government to service
employees were so miserable that Armenians preferred receiving a
compensation of, for instance, 25,000 drams to working 12 hours a
day 7 days a week for 50,000 drams ($110). In this case they got
deprived of the compensation and, despite the miserable wage, made
to pay taxes, pension contribution and of course, the notorious 5%
to receive pension themselves one day.
That's why the oligarchs from the government welcomed this initiative
of the authorities. As paradoxical as it may seem, but in Armenia
there is a real deficit of workers. There are vacancies for such jobs
as workers, cashiers, sellers, waiters, security guards, maintenance
staff, drivers, public service employees etc. And the owners of
numerous banks, supermarkets and other "objects" often complained
that their possible employees are so "full of themselves" that they
don't want to work, preferring to receive the unemployment. According
to Artem Asatryan, Minister of Labor and Social Issues, one of the
priorities for 2014 will be the introduction of a new employment model,
which will include implementation of about 10 programs. In particular,
there will be employment provision for those who are competitive on
the labor market. To put it more simple, all unemployed people, having
been deprived of the unemployment benefits, will be forced to bow down
to employers, most of whom are government officials and oligarchs, and
work for 100-150 dollars a month. Meanwhile, just the cost of gas and
electricity consumed in Yerevan in the unprecedentedly cold December,
is almost twice higher. It is quite obvious why the government never
wonders how people have to survive with such wages. The government
turned out to care only about the interests of the few people who make
millions and billions, depriving the vast majority of Armenia of crust.
Another question is where actually go the super-profits of the
oligarchs from the government. What are they used for? According
to the recently published research of Global Financial Integrity,
just over the last 6 years the outflow of capital from Armenia
reached 6.2 billion dollars. It is clear that it couldn't have been
the employees who pumped the money abroad: they barely survive. The
billions flowed out of Armenia with a helping hand from officials on
the take and owners of oligopolies, which have been thriving to the
disadvantage of the society, thanks to the government. This makes one
wonder rightfully: what on earth are the reasons for the oligarchs
to pump the capitals overseas, if they are so at ease in Armenia? The
answer is obvious: none of the newly rich Armenian snobs doesn't know
today what awaits them tomorrow. Won't the power that has created
such conditions for them shift in one day?
Meanwhile, all those billions might have been invested in the
stagnating Armenian economy, in production, in the development of
small and medium enterprises. It would give a possibility to find
a decent job not only for the unemployed who have been deprived
of their miserable benefits, but also to hundreds of thousands of
Armenian citizens who are forced to search for jobs abroad. However
the authorities continue with their ostrich policy, hiding their
heads in a bush and preferring not to see the obvious things. As
a result, while Armenia has a 4-billion external debt and keeps
reaching out for new credits to postpone the default, the billions
robbed by the government oligarchs are being smuggled out of country,
and the unemployed get deprived of their miserable benefits. That's
the paradox of the Armenian reality.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/50147.html