Ararat Factory workers protest weeklong closure, threaten road blockades

Employees of the Yerevan Ararat Brandy, Wine and Vodka Factory staged a protest on Monday after the facility remained closed for a week following its seizure by Armenian law enforcement authorities.

The factory, owned by businessman and opposition leader Gagik Tsarukyan, has suspended operations since authorities sealed the premises as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Tsarukyan, the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, has been arrested on charges of money laundering and fraud rejected by him as politically motivated.

Protesters said the shutdown has left hundreds of workers without income and called on the government to allow the factory to resume operations.

"The factory must reopen. The first thing they should think about is the people," one employee told reporters. "We are in a difficult situation. Everyone has loans. We haven't worked for a week and we don't even know how much longer the factory will remain closed."

The worker said employees were not responsible for the allegations against the company's owner and should not bear the consequences of the investigation.

"We ask the authorities to hear the people and support us. Ordinary workers are not guilty of anything," the employee said, adding that about 500 factory workers, along with roughly 1,500 family members who depend on their incomes, have been left facing financial hardship.

Another employee said many workers are struggling to meet loan payments because of the shutdown.

"Who is going to make those payments for us?" the worker said. "What did the laborers do wrong? They should find a solution quickly so we can return to our normal work."

"If the factory remains closed for much longer, we will block the roads. This has to stop," she added.

The woman said she had worked at the factory for eight years and had never experienced delayed wages.