Bonus Given to 500 Employees of the Greenery Management Organization Before Elections

The "Greenery and Environmental Protection" organization operating under the Yerevan Municipality has recently awarded bonuses to approximately 500 employees. The bonus amount was 50% of their salaries, with an average salary of 110,000 AMD in the organization.

Armen Begoyan, the director of the organization, is actively participating in the campaign of the "Civil Contract" party, where he ranks 155th on the list of candidates for the council.

Information about the distribution of bonuses before the upcoming council elections was neither confirmed nor denied by Begoyan or the head of public relations for the organization.

Below is the excerpt from the interview conducted by "Hetq" with Armen Begoyan to verify the information about the bonuses:

-Mr. Begoyan, we have information that I would like to clarify with you personally. Is it true that the employees of your organization received bonuses amounting to 50% of their salaries, and if so, what was the occasion?

-First, let’s start with the fact that I am on vacation, and I need to verify that information myself. I have no information at this moment. Second, these employees are mainly our gardeners. Sometimes they receive bonuses because their basic salary of 110,000 AMD is very low. It sometimes happens that they receive bonuses during the year. Whether they have received it in this case, I cannot say; it needs to be verified.

-Could you verify it today?

-I will try; I am very busy right now. If I can, I will keep you informed.

-In the meantime, could you tell me the number of employees at the "Greenery and Environmental Protection" organization and what their average salary is? You should know this.

-The number of gardeners is about 500 people. Don’t ask me specifically; I am not at the workplace. Between 400 and 500 people, whose net salary is 110,000 AMD. It is very low. I am also doing everything I can to raise their salaries next year because our workers and gardeners are doing titanic work.

-I am curious about your opinion. Does giving bonuses a week before the elections talk about the misuse of administrative resources or trying to financially incentivize voters?

-To answer clearly—no. Almost every quarter, due to low salaries, bonuses are allocated to compensate a bit for the low wages of these people and, of course, for the titanic work they do. I don’t know if you noticed, but the changes made in greenery and the work carried out by these people under the heat, under the sun… This has been a constant practice.

Whenever the organization has the opportunity to create this possibility or the municipality has provided the opportunity, we try to reward these people. If I’m not mistaken, bonuses were also distributed in late spring.

-Is the decision to reward the employees made by you or is it decided by the mayor?

-No, it is my decision.

-Now that it is regulated by your decision, you don’t know whether such a decision has been made or not? You say you will verify it later.

-My decision is always to ensure that these people… If it were up to me, I would raise their salary. If it had been up to me, I would be giving them a bonus of some amount every month. I am always ready to give bonuses considering the work these people do day and night. The issue is that to grant bonuses, there needs to be funds available.

Whenever those funds come from various savings of the organization, I award the bonuses. When those funds are not available, I sometimes address the municipality with the same justification, asking for additional funds to reward these people for their good and selfless service.

-Was this last case of awarding bonuses done with the organization’s funds or with the municipality’s funds?

-I cannot say; per legal requirements, I am on vacation. I myself am on the council list and have been sent on vacation by the law, and I am also involved in the campaign and am very busy. I am always trying to find means or asking the municipality to provide some bonuses to these people because I believe firmly that if it were up to me, I would be giving some bonuses to these people almost every month.

-If today we write about this matter regarding the bonuses, there will be statements that you tried to financially incentivize people before the elections.

-You know what, if you write that article, then write my response as well. We knew that these elections would be in 2023; if that had been the case, salaries would have been raised. Some will hit their heads against the wall indicating this issue because you can certainly write that the heavy work done in the sun by a gardener who earns 110,000 AMD, cleaning snow in winter or pruning during the pruning season, their salaries definitely do not correspond to the work they do… So those who try to exploit this issue should have some sanctity. Our contingent is quite aged, and our elderly workers do titanic work. To exploit this would be at least shameless, since the low salaries are the reason.

If my memory serves me right, bonuses were paid twice last year, and this time in spring after the establishment of the large forest at Yerablur. Yes, those people were paid. Currently, it has been possible to find means to provide bonuses; I cannot say, because I am quite occupied and do not have much information from the organization.

-My last question. Legally, how will that work? You are on vacation; will you go to work for one day to sign the decision for the bonuses? How will that work? At the same time, we know that those bonuses have already been received by the people.

-You know, there is a temporary official in my place, and he must have done it if those financial resources have been allocated to those poor workers, the gardeners… I tell you again, I don’t know whether it has happened or not, but it is always my issue every month to find that money and solve this issue; of course, it does not always happen. There is now a temporary official in my place, and if the orders were issued, he has naturally given them. The acting director is my deputy, who is currently fulfilling the director's duties. Regardless, you should write that those trying to exploit this issue will hit their heads against the wall.

-From this interview, I understand that there have been bonuses, and you are defending that decision.

-I cannot say whether they have happened now or not; I might lie.

-But if they have happened, do you defend that decision?

-Definitely, I defend it, and I have always been busy with this issue so that those people’s salaries rise or, as long as they have not risen, that somehow they have the opportunity to receive some form of bonuses, I don’t know, 20, 30, 50 thousand AMD at least once every two months. It is true that I have not succeeded because the number of people is large. To give a net salary of 50,000 AMD to these 500 people, one needs to transfer 70,000 AMD, which would amount to 30-40 million AMD. It is not about small amounts. Regardless, yes, it has happened before, it has also happened after my arrival. It has also happened this year once, and frankly speaking, I was occupied all summer trying to find money to do it again.

The media outlet also tried to verify the information regarding the bonuses from the head of public relations of the "Greenery and Environmental Protection" organization, Artur Aghabekyan. Upon hearing the question, he initially stated that the information about bonuses is confidential, later saying that he personally had not received a bonus. In response to a clarifying question about why the information regarding the bonuses is confidential, he replied, "If it is not given universally, bonuses are given to specific people, and it is possible that others might not know about it. That’s all there is to it." All attempts by the media to verify the information verbally with Artur Aghabekyan were unsuccessful.