The Populism of the Prime Minister on 'Black Labor Workers'

"Hraparak". "The Prime Minister, while discussing the reduction of income tax for high earners, which has faced criticism for benefiting only high-paid individuals, said that the government should not chase high-income earners but should encourage them.

“In Armenia, there should not be a person who thinks they can work for 80,000 drams. There shouldn't be an employer in Armenia who thinks they should hire someone for 80,000, and consider that they've paid a salary," said Nikol Pashinyan, adding that it seems there is an impression that having high salaries is becoming the enemy of this country.

But who exactly is this high earner? According to Pashinyan, it is a person who has gone to university, worked hard, has sleepless nights, and has spent time as a hungry student in Armenia or abroad, becoming a highly qualified professional earning 1-2 million drams today.

“The hero of our time is that person who hasn’t loitered in the streets but has gone to get an education. Now we are saying to that person, 'what do you mean you're getting a salary of 2 million drams? Come here, we’ll take 30 percent and half of your salary.' No, we say that everyone in our country should be like that. In our country, people should not linger in the streets discussing crime and law but should go to universities and schools to gain an education. This is the new Armenia, and no one should hope for anything else. Otherwise, these changes are meaningless.

What, did we make a revolution just to be filled with a society of black labor workers? No, we want to create a society of citizens with higher education. And this is our policy, and we should not be pretending with false social slogans – oh, let’s fight to ensure that the person with an 80,000 salary pays 300 drams less in tax. You keep that 300 drams for yourselves,” the Prime Minister exclaimed, angrily pointing at the notion of black laborers.

From Pashinyan’s statement, a question arises - who exactly are these black labor workers in Armenia that earn 80,000 drams? If that is the case, are teachers, lecturers, and scientists, many of whom earn either 80,000 drams or slightly more, considered black laborers? And finally, can the Prime Minister turn Armenia into a highly technologically developed country with a powerful economy within a year where the minimum wage reaches, say, 300 thousand drams, and all black labor workers master high technologies and earn high salaries? But they are not the ones raising the salaries of civil servants; instead, they are looking to cut the state apparatus and even deprive some of the minimum wage.

Interestingly, what are the salaries at the media outlet owned by the Prime Minister's family? Do all employees earn above 80,000 drams?"

For more details, see today’s issue of the newspaper.