Tuesday, April 3 2018 15:02

ArmInfo. The Standing Committee on State and Legal Issues and Human Rights of the Armenian Parliament sent a government bill on the reduction of New Year holidays in the country for revision.

In particular, the Commission was not persuaded by the arguments of  the representative of the Government of Armenia, Deputy Minister of  Labor and Social Affairs Tadevos Avetisyan, and the rationale for the  bill on the reduction of New Year holidays.

Avetisyan, presenting the reasons for the sensational bill in the  profile commission of the parliament, assured that the need to adopt  this bill is caused by the desire to leave only national holidays on  the calendar, for example the New Year, which was traditionally  called Armenian and based on the traditions of the Armenian people.  At the same time, the deputy minister noted that the national  holidays are those that appeared in ancient times. Avetisyan also  expressed his confidence that stretching the New Year holidays from  the socio-economic point of view is not reasonable, and the adoption  of this bill is aimed at ensuring the normal functioning of the  state's social, economic and financial systems.

Vice Speaker of the Parliament from the ruling Republican Party of  Armenia Arpine Hovhannisyan, as well as the deputy from the  Tsaroukyan bloc Gevorg Petrosyan severely criticized Avetisyan's  speech and the justification justified, describing it as a school  essay. Following the discussion, the profile commission proposed to  postpone the discussion of this bill and discuss it after making  appropriate changes and preparing a new justification.

In substantiation of the bill it is noted that there are not such a  number of paid non-working days, as in Armenia, in particular, 28  calendar days of annual leave plus 15 non-working days of holidays  and memorable days, even in developed countries. The current  legislation, as the document says, is inappropriate from a  socio-economic point of view.

At the end of last year, the Government of Armenia initiated  legislative changes, which, on the basis of results of 3, 4 and 5  January, will be recognized as working days. Corresponding amendments  to the RA Law "On Holidays and Memorable Dates" were approved at a  government meeting on December 14. As the head of the government  apparatus Vahe Stepanyan stated, if the bill is passed by the  parliament and the amendments come into force on June 1, 2018,  already in 2019 the New Year holidays in Armenia will end on January  2.

In substantiation of the bill it is noted that there are not such a  number of paid non-working days, as in Armenia, in particular, 28  calendar days of annual leave plus 15 non-working days of holidays  and memorable days, even in developed countries. The current  legislation, as the document says, is inappropriate from a  socio-economic point of view.