There is a salary threshold below which no one should receive any salary, says the Speaker of the National Assembly

The Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, supports his colleagues' proposal to raise the minimum monthly salary.

He emphasized the importance of having a salary threshold, below which no one should earn, regardless of how much they have worked, considering the idea of social justice.

Mirzoyan expressed this viewpoint during his speech on the discussion of the draft to raise the minimum monthly salary from 55,000 drams to 68,000 drams in the National Assembly.

"I want to talk about taboos, rules, and exceptions regarding the law with two aspects: One of my colleagues said how it could be fair for a library worker in the regions and a sanitation worker to receive the same salary. Of course, it is unjust. But we faced the same issue when we were raising pensions and several benefits, making them 25,500 drams. The same was said back then, but there exists a reasonable threshold below which no one should receive a salary, regardless of how much they have worked or not worked. It's the same in this case," said Mirzoyan.

He noted that the salaries of regional librarians should also be increased, but there is a threshold that no one should fall below, whether they are a guard, a cleaner, a worker, or anyone else.

According to Mirzoyan, the draft has social significance, and this component was part of their electoral promise. Referring to the economic component, Mirzoyan recalled behavioral economics, which, in his assessment, is becoming more prevalent over time.

"Not everything is implemented according to established textbook rules; many things are influenced by the behavior of society, no matter how irrational it may sound, such as being optimistic. We have learned from the last year and a half of our lives that there were things that should not have been done because there was no alternative for what could be achieved," said Mirzoyan, suggesting a bolder approach to the issue.

He noted that his colleagues are actually making a very good proposal and urged to vote for and increase the minimum salary.