The Ministry of Finance Clarifies the Procedure for Granting Bonuses

The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Armenia clarifies the details regarding the salary distribution procedure (including bonuses) in state institutions, specifically the Ministry of Finance.

Considering the discussions surrounding the component of bonuses in the remuneration of public sector employees and the evaluations found in media publications regarding the bonuses paid to employees of the Ministry of Finance (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry), and aiming to prevent potential speculation, the Ministry presents, firstly, information relevant to the Ministry, and secondly, the legal regulations concerning the remuneration of public sector employees, the recorded issues, the anticipated solutions, and key indicators.

Due to the military operations initiated in the Republic of Artsakh, the Ministry of Finance has been operating under a wartime regime since September 27 of this year, when martial law was declared in the Republic of Armenia. During this period, the Ministry has carried out its functions (including organizing urgent expenditures for the financial provision of military operations) in a 24/7 mode, and no bonuses have been paid to any Ministry employee for their work in October.

As previously reported, bonuses were allocated to Ministry employees in October for the work done in September. Under conditions of effectively doubled workloads, Ministry employees received the legally expected remuneration, which includes only part of the bonus amounts (only the base salary) and continued to fulfill their duties without complaint, just as any responsible member of society would respond to the call for unity.

In this regard, attempts to divide society into patriots and less patriotic individuals by exploiting the work and remuneration of public sector employees are destined to fail, as, during the martial law period, any employee of the Ministry of Finance or any other state body has either enlisted in the armed forces in general mobilization from the first day of military operations or voluntarily registered, assessing the necessity of continuing their service in the state body to support the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia, while performing their duties responsibly, even amidst emotional outbursts, contributing their utmost to serve the homeland.

Therefore, efforts to present work in a state body and its remuneration as a subject of public condemnation are futile. Quite the opposite: every responsible attitude and conscientious service to the homeland must be recognized and respected appropriately.

Regarding the view that the provision of bonuses was accompanied by donations received from the All-Armenian Fund 'Hayastan,' and thus represents excess extravagance, it should be noted that discussions regarding budget expenditure cuts due to expected economic decline have not taken place, and donations to the fund could not be legally made from the state budget, while citizens, including employees of the Ministry, could and actually have made contributions to the fund from their earned income.

We can clarify the matter with budgetary figures from 2020, as commonly referred to as numbers. The framework for the execution of the constitutional functions of the Ministry of Finance is set at 522 staff units. Below, a table is provided detailing the Ministry's remuneration indicators.

More details can be found here.