Miners of Akhtala mining and processing enterprise go on strike
Several dozen employees of the Akhtala Mining and Processing Enterprise (AMPE) have been on strike for several days, demanding higher wages and improved working conditions. It should be noted that approximately 50-60 employees are participating in the strike, representing about 10 percent of the total workforce of the plant.
The majority of the striking employees are drillers who perform heavy and dangerous physical labor. Their current salary is between 200,000 and 300,000 AMD. According to the workers, in addition to their primary tasks, they also perform mine blasting, locksmith work, and other duties, but they receive no additional pay for these responsibilities.
The management of the enterprise met with the strikers today. They stated that they cannot increase wages, but the additional duties currently performed by the drillers will henceforth be assigned to other employees.
According to the miners, employees at other mines in Armenia receive 500,000 to 600,000 AMD for similar heavy work, while in Akhtala, the salary rarely exceeds 400,000 AMD.
Parallel to the strike, the company has posted job advertisements on its pages to recruit new staff. Officials of the plant claim that dismissal notices have not yet been issued and are not related to the strike.
At present, the Akhtala AMPE has about 500 workers, of whom approximately 50 are participating in the strike. The strikers have announced that they will not report to work tomorrow either if their demands are not met.