15 February 2019, 21:21
Copper Smelter workers resume protest action in Armenia
Workers of the Alaverdi Copper Smelting Factory have again blocked the Yerevan-Tbilisi railway after the disruption of the meeting of governmental officials, the factory owner and the bank, Armen Kirakosyan, one of the organizers of the rally, has stated.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 13, workers of the copper factory blocked the Yerevan-Tbilisi railway. The protesters voiced their ultimatum to the authorities and gave them time to organize a three-party meeting at the level of the government chair or one of his deputies, the owner of the copper factory, and the owner of the bank, which gave money to the factory.
The Alaverdi Copper Smelter was stopped on October 19, 2018. Immediately after that, workers launched a protest action; and the authorities promised that "the government will do everything possible to resume the operation of the smelter."
Andrei Gukasyan, the Governor of the Lori Region, met factory workers and offered to wait until a way out of the current situation was found, Armen Kirakosyan told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent today.
According to his story, the governor found it difficult to tell specific dates, and his offer was rejected by workers. "Workers of the smelter have blocked the Yerevan-Tbilisi railway; so far, they decided not to block the highway," he has explained.
According to Armen Kirakosyan, the action is about 300 people strong.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 15, 2019 at 03:31 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Tigran Petrosyan Source: CK correspondent
