Armenian authorities puzzled over Nairit rubber plant

/AzerNews/

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Armenia's Nairit rubber plant remains to be a serious source of headache to the country, as the government is puzzled how to solve the numerous problems in regard to it.

The plant's management announced about massive staff cut, sparking an uproar among the facility's employees.

Spokesman for the Nairit plant Anush Harutunyan said labor contracts were planned to be signed with 500-700 employees following the cut.

According to Harutunyan, Armenian Energy and Natural Resources Minister Yervand Zakharyan said in a meeting with the Nairit's employees that the World Bank will carry out a technical audit at the plant in March, 2015. He added that the plant is unable to fulfill its previous promise to repay full salaries, saying: "Salaries for only one month will be paid due to the New Year holiday, but I can not say anything about the rest of the wages."

Zakharyan has earlier revealed that the Nairit employees' salaries were partially paid through Armenia's state-run energy companies Yerevan Thermal Power Plant and Vorotan Hydro Cascade. But the complete repayment of 2,261 employees, who couldn't get their full salaries since the plant has ceased production in April, 2010, was impossible due to the plant's collapse and economic crisis in Armenia.

Harutunyan said it was recently known that the Nairit rubber plant's employees have received notifications about their dismissal and they will be officially fired on February 6.

"Only those employees, whose work is important for the plant, will be offered new contracts," she noted, adding that high salaries in the plant will be reduced for several times, as well.

Russia's oil giant Rosneft has earlier announced its plan to purchase the Nairit rubber plant. Armenian authorities nodded to sit for business talks with the Russia's largest company, as it revealed its $500 million investment plan for Nairit.

The company further was forced to cancel its plan and withdraw from the large business deal, as the Western sanctions delivered a hard blow on the Russian economy.