Hrazdan cement plant staff hold protest

ArmInfo.  Workers at the Hrazdan Cement plant in Armenia's Kotayk region held a protest over unpaid wages and job losses following the company's bankruptcy declaration. As a result, approximately 400 people have been in a difficult situation for nearly a year, unable to find other work or  support their families.

In a conversation with reporters, one of the protesters said the debt  amounts to approximately 570 million drams. He said it all began in  2018, when the plant was purchased and placed under the management of  Kolya Khachaturov. "Two years later, the bankruptcy process began.  For eight years, the plant was managed by Kolya Khachaturov, who,  after the company's bankruptcy, suddenly declared himself  illegitimate, stopped attending meetings, and stopped taking any  action. He refuses to accept responsibility for the debt," one of the  workers noted.

Many of the protesters have worked at the plant for nearly 40 years  and have reached an age where finding new work is practically  impossible. "We have families, we have debts, and children whose  education needs to be paid. Meanwhile, the court proceedings are  dragging on, and decisions on the case are not being made for years.  Those workers who have worked here for 12 months should receive  approximately one million drams for unpaid wages (assuming a monthly  salary of 90,000 drams - ed.)," the protesters added.

They also noted that this is the third time the plant has gone  bankrupt, and each time, the problems have remained unresolved. "The  plant can't go bankrupt without serious reasons. We've always been  aware of all its income and expenses. This situation could ultimately  have a serious impact on the country as a whole, leading to higher  cement prices and a deterioration in quality," noted another plant  employee.

The protesters also stated that they are prepared to continue their  protests, including blocking roads, to ensure their voices are heard  and to achieve a solution to the current situation. The problem has  finally been resolved. They also reported that they were received by  the government 1.5 months ago, and it was noted that the case was  ongoing, but since then there has been no information on its  progress.

The company "Razdan Cement" (formerly "Mika Cement") was created on  the basis of the "Razdan Cement Plant," which was launched in 1970 as  a division of the "Razdan Mining and Chemical Combine." In the 1990s,  the plant was practically inactive. In 2001, the company was  privatized by Mikhail Baghdasarov, president of MIKA Armenia, and  renamed Mika-Cement CJSC. The plant was later transferred to VTB Bank  (Armenia) to pay off debts. The cement plant resumed operations in  July 2014 thanks to a loan from VTB Bank (Armenia). The plant  specializes in the production of 10 grades of Portland cement. It is  located in the city of Hrazdan, covering an area of 540,000 square  meters, and is equipped with two production lines with a design  capacity of 1.2 million tons of cement and 1 million tons of clinker  per year.