New Procedure for Bonuses in National Security Agencies to Be Implemented

The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" reports that a proposal has been made to establish a certification system for employees holding positions related to the protection of the state border, operational-intelligence activities, or execution of special tasks in national security agencies. Based on these results, additional bonuses will be calculated for the relevant employees. The corresponding project has already been submitted for public discussion.

The certification procedure, the amounts of the bonuses, and the payment process will be determined by a government decision.

It is proposed that the certification for calculating the bonuses be conducted on a mandatory basis, which will encourage employees in the relevant divisions to maintain proper professional training and security standards. At the same time, those employees for whom bonuses are calculated based on certification results will receive these bonuses for a period of three years, and in order for the bonus payments to continue, the employee will be required to undergo re-certification.

Moreover, employees who do not obtain the right to receive a bonus based on certification results can apply for a new certification up to two times within a year. If they attain the right to receive the bonus as a result of the new certification, the bonus will be calculated from the date of obtaining that right.

Furthermore, those employees who fail to obtain the right to receive bonuses based on the results of the second certification will be dismissed from their positions and will remain in the personnel pool for up to 2 months. During this period, they will be offered positions that correspond to their education and previously held rank or one rank lower in functions related to the protection of the state border or operational-intelligence activities. If they refuse the offered position, after the expiration of the set period in the personnel pool, they will be legally discharged from service.

Additionally, it is proposed to establish legal regulations that will determine the procedures for calculating bonuses and the grounds for halting payment of calculated bonuses by a normative order of the director of the National Security Service.

Following the adoption of the project, the expenses incurred will be funded by the state budget of the Republic of Armenia. Moreover, considering that the amount of bonuses calculated from certification results will be determined by a decision of the Government of Armenia, it may reflect on the projected budgetary expenses within the framework of the mentioned decision.

For more details, refer to this week's edition of the newspaper.