Blackmailed workers in Armenia demand justice

A scandal surrounding the Nairit Chemical Rubber Plant in Armenia has brought Armenia’s many problems to light, particularly those concerning the human rights situation in the country.

A total of 1,700 workers from the Nairit Chemical Rubber Plant, which is no longer in operation, claim that they were threatened to sign an agreement on the payment of only a small portion of their postponed salaries.

Nairit owed its employees 5.3 billion AMD (approx. $11 million), news.am reported earlier.

Now they are keen on defending their rights and plan to sue the company.

Former spokesman for Nairit, Anush Harutyunyan confirmed that the employees were forced to sign the agreement, and that they are now ready to fight for their basic human rights. “We will go to the court and to the prosecutor’s office, not because of the financial side of the question, but because we were blackmailed and scared," the employee said.

Harutyunyan stressed that it is still necessary to consult with lawyers to figure out exactly whom it is that they must sue. Although Nairit is a private enterprise, the salaries were paid by the state, and that raises a big question.