Nuclear power station workers refuse to work
Nearly 200 workers of the Metsamor nuclear power station gathered in front of the RA Energy Ministry building today demanding a 50% salary increase. Five hundred on-duty workers are even ready to file a complaint and leave their jobs if the demands are not met.
The nuclear power station administration has told workers that it is not able to raise the salaries because the station is not receiving any income.
"There is no such thing. They purchase energy from us for 6.2 drams per kilowatt an hour and sell it for 25 drams. This means that they are getting huge profits. The price for energy at the station ranges from 9-10 drams. As far as I know, energy prices go up by 30 drams during the day and 20 drams at night starting April 1. It turns out that that is not going to have an impact on our salaries, but we will be paying more for energy," says worker Ara Gevorgyan.
Worker Nerses Avetisyan stressed that people working in poor conditions must be taken care of by the state and must receive high salaries, but that is not the case.
Six workers formed a group today to try to meet with Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan who met with them and held talks for nearly two hours.
Participants of the meeting informed that they came to an agreement to discuss and solve the issue of raising salaries by 10-15 percent by March 27. The station workers were disappointed because they were demanding a 50% increase and decided to go to the Prime Minister as well. Energy Minister Gagik Markosyan was trying to calm them down and convince them to go home, but the workers went to the Prime Minister anyway. But they were rejected there as well due to the fact that the government shares the opinion of the ministry.
