ZCMC management again rejects strikers' pay rise demand

The striking employees of Armenia’s Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) on Wednesday again met with the company’s management but failed to reach an agreement.

The ZCMC employees began the strike on 31 January to demand a 50% salary increase and better working conditions.

"The management rejected the strikers' demand for a pay increase of 120,000-150,000 drams. They even refused to grant a symbolic raise, insisting instead on the immediate resumption of work," Vahe Mkhitaryan, one of the representatives of the workers, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

Meanwhile, the striking employees also questioned the impartiality of Eduard Pahlevanyan, chairman of the trade union of metallurgists and jewelry industry workers. Their concerns stem from the union’s failure to provide workers with key documents, including the collective agreement signed with the employer, the union’s charter and the minutes of a recent vote.

The employees intend to continue their strike until their demands are met.