FORMER EMPLOYEES OF ARMENIAN AIRWAYS DEMAND BEING PAID THEIR SALARY ARREARS
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, NOYAN TAPAN. More than 500 employees of Armenian
Airways airline, which was declared bankrupt in 2004, demand that the
government pay their salary and benefit arrears of the total amount of
340 thousand dollars. Vladimir Poghosian, former pilot of Armenian
Airways, told reporters at the June 22 press conference that the head
of the governmental staff – minister Manuk Topuzian on June 21 received
them and proposed creating a commission composed of Armenian Airways’
former employees and representatives of the justice ministry and the
ministry of finance and economy in order to solve this problem.
In the opinion of V. Poghosian, the government, which was 100%
shareholder of the airline, has to pay its debts. He said that out of
the 611 mln drams received from the sale of Armenian Airways’ property,
314 mln drams was paid as pension to deaf pilots, while the remaining
sum "disappeared".
V. Poghosian said that the problem of salary arrears can be solved by
selling Armenian Airways’ 26-ha landplot in Sevan region. He underlined
that the airline had never operated at a loss: it was declared bankrupt
artificially – the annual profit of Armenian Airways made 5 million
dollars.