Protests Erupt Again at Ararat Cement Factory

The road leading to the "Ararat Cement" factory is once again blocked, as workers continue their protest that began yesterday. Henrik Ketchumyan, one of the employees, stated in an interview with Tert.am:

“We have stayed here overnight, and our demand remains the same: a meeting with Gagik Tsarukyan. Although we were offered last night to tear up the termination notices, as they have decided to cancel them and return to work, we are not confident that we won’t face the same issues again in a few days.

Gagik Tsarukyan himself should come and tell us about this. But I must say, we do not trust him that much either. We need concrete guarantees,” he mentioned in the interview.

Ketchumyan added that the management has promised that they will meet with Gagik Tsarukyan on April 17.

Regarding the situation, the factory worker commented on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's response, stating:

“The Prime Minister has reacted appropriately; as far as I know, he said it's a matter between the employer and the employees, and there was nothing else he could say, nor was it necessary for the Prime Minister or other representatives of the government to respond. We have a deputy from the area, Sos Avetisyan, who welcomed our protest.”

It is worth noting that on Friday evening, "Ararat Cement" LLC informed over 1,000 employees that termination notices would be distributed. Yesterday morning, the employees refused to accept the notices, and some department heads rejected handing them out. They blocked the road leading to the factory as a sign of protest.