«Jamanak». Either the gas price must be raised or layoffs must occur

«Jamanak» newspaper reports that in recent days, employees of Gazprom Armenia have received warnings about upcoming layoffs within the company. It has been explained to them that Gazprom is forced to take this step because either they must raise the gas price or make cuts of approximately 10% for now.

Yesterday, in a conversation with ArmLur.am, the press service of Gazprom Armenia confirmed our information, with only the denial that it is not related to an increase in gas prices. “In 2019, the company worked on preparing the legal basis for layoffs. As for the reduction of staff in 2020, it should take place in phases; in the first phase, around 600 employees are expected to be laid off,” stated Gazprom.

The newspaper «Jamanak» yesterday asked Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan whether they are following the events occurring in Gazprom Armenia and how they justify the layoffs of 600 employees while maintaining the gas tariff. The Deputy Prime Minister replied that linking the two issues is amateurish, reaffirming once again that until April 1, the company will not submit a request to raise tariffs.

Regarding the anticipated layoffs, the Deputy Prime Minister stated, “It will be possible to follow the details of events occurring there once the company submits a request and a study begins. At that time, issues related to salaries, the number of employees, and other matters will be presented. However, if the company does not submit a request, then the government does not have the authority to intervene, as these are internal matters of the company.”

In any case, it should be noted that mass layoffs are expected at Gazprom Armenia, which may perhaps lead to a new wave of protests.