YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—Armenia’s parliament backed on Tuesday a government proposal to raise the minimum wage in the country by more than 23 percent.
The government announced plans for such an increase in June. A bill drafted by it at the time would raise the minimum monthly wage from 55,000 drams to 68,000 drams ($143).
The National Assembly passed the bill unanimously.
Arkady Khachatryan, a parliament deputy from the opposition Bright Armenia Party, echoed government assurances that it will somewhat reduce poverty. “A working person must not live below the minimum consumer basket level,” he said.
According to government officials, the measure, effective from January 1, will benefit at least 80,000 workers across the country who earned 55,000 drams per month as of this summer. Most of them work for private firms.
The average monthly wage in Armenia currently stands at 178,000 drams ($375), according official statistics.
The bill approved by the parliament marks the most drastic increase in the national minimum wage to date. It was set at 55,000 drams by the country’s former government in 2015.
The current government is also planning a 10 percent rise in pensions which average roughly 41,000 drams per month at present.
Wow how could you live on $143!!! its unreliable even in Armenia you need lot more than $143 to make a decent living
It’s proportional, relative and subject to.
Bravo! Positive changes are happening in Armenia!
Good move.
This is a horrible idea…
Passing a minimum wage law in Armenia is purely a public relations ploy for Pashinyan and his cronies. This will have little to no effect on the types of employees it is meant to protect. In a country with such high unemployment, an employer will just pay the employee cash (as they probably already do) to get around these requirements if they really want to. And for industries such as IT that are not in the shadow economy, the $143 monthly minimum this establishes is less than what some workers make in a single day. Even this article fomr the Asbarez which seems has turned into a pro-Pashinyan mouthpiece explains that the current average monthly wage in Armenia is $375. This minimum wage law like almost everything done (and not done) by Pashinyan’s government since he came to power is a joke.
you are a joke !
Horrible decisio! Seems like these guys don’t know about basic economics. A minimum wage law is very harmful. Watch the prices for goods and services increase. Employers will also be reluctant to hire and will instead divide the labor amongst the current employees.
Longest trip starts with a first step.
The answer to Armenias income is increased economic activity. The easier you make for individual farmers to set up modern businesses the better. A milking machine that costs $250,000 will milk 250 cows per day. Right now, milk producers in rural areas are limited to how many hands there are to yank on the cows. An average farm of five and mostly women and old men can milk perhaps 30 cows. That’s the limit even if all five could milk. The area is vast with cow pastures, so fodder is not a problem. So a government assisted program for farm equipment purchases would go a long way.
A thousand head herd, feeding for free would produce a minimum of a million dollar a year with very little labor or overhead. Armenia and Artsack have much hilly pastureland that is not even counted as agricultural land. That land can accomodate a million head of cattle, That would be a trillion dollars income yearly; which would make Armenia a major player in international beef trade, Cheese trade, etc. Some would argue: “But what about winter and winter feed”? The Soviet cow would freeze to death outside and we can’t build a million barns. That’s why the Scottish Highlander breed would be the one to survive winters out doors, and feed itself by foraging under the snow. So there are great opportunities for anyone, young or retired to start American style beef cattle businesses.
Spiurk, for 28 years in the country, I say that the minimum wage is that of extreme poverty, of misery, which has nothing to do with the cost of living without any annual reindexation according to inflation, no trade union organization therefore a system feodale exploitation, ideal, ZOLA returns, to enrich more these industrial oligarchs who exploit this labor, cut and corveable at mercy, 10, 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, without social protection, without conges pay … When I read the newspapers that make the headlines, I am frightened by this type of Armenian investors who parade proudly smile at the sides of the local officials, Mr. Pachinyan … this situation questions me: Is this type of economic and social development that we want for our country, ULTRA LIBERAL, that fails in Europe? Poor workers? mainly female? Is it this type of foreign investors that we want to welcome, with open arms? We can see the same images of women working in China who have NO salary choices, without any working, social conditions. So, then these feudals will gain shares of walking on the back of this labor, inside but especially outside with beautiful accounting results that will escape the tax to inflate their bank account abroad. We know the music. When we know that access to health is paid, forbidden to 90% of the population, education pays, ultimately everything pays off corruption.
Spiurk, for 28 years in the country, I say that the minimum wage is that of extreme poverty, of misery, which has nothing to do with the cost of living without any annual reindexation according to inflation, no trade union organization therefore a system feodale exploitation, ideal, ZOLA returns, to enrich more these industrial oligarchs who exploit this labor, cut and corveable at mercy, 10, 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, without social protection, without conges pay … When I read the newspapers that make the headlines, I am frightened by this type of Armenian investors who parade proudly smile at the sides of the local officials, Mr. Pachinyan … this situation questions me: Is this type of economic and social development that we want for our country, ULTRA LIBERAL, that fails in Europe?
ROA SET A FLAT INVOME TAX OF 23% THIS YEAR RENDERING THIS MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE AS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR ALL THOSE 80,000 ARMENIANS ST THE BOTTOM.
WE NEED A BERNIE SANDERS IN ARMENIA TO EXPOSE THIS HYPOCRISY.