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Levon Ter-Petrosyan: Expressions Of Social Discontent Have Sharpened

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  • Levon Ter-Petrosyan: Expressions Of Social Discontent Have Sharpened

    LEVON TER-PETROSYAN: EXPRESSIONS OF SOCIAL DISCONTENT HAVE SHARPENED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE PERIOD AFTER THE 1 MARCH RALLY

    ArmInfo
    2009-05-01 17:10:00

    ArmInfo. Expressions of social discontent particularly in the
    ranks of taxi drivers, employees of open-air and retail markets
    have sharpened significantly in the period after the 1 March rally,
    the first president of Armenia, the leader of the Armenian National
    Congress Levon Ter-Petrossyan said during an opposition rally today.

    Soon they may be joined by the unemployed and employees, whose
    salaries are paid from the state budget. These expressions are
    so far spontaneous and unorganized, but if their problems are not
    solved satisfactorily, they threaten to cause serious turmoil. The
    authorities are myopically trying to suppress these expressions of
    social discontent by intimidation and police operations, which is a
    very dangerous and counterprouctive approach.

    Meanwhile, it was their duty to do the exact opposite, i.e. instead
    of strangling that discontent in its embryonic stage, hoping that it
    will not spread; they should have made an effort to solve the problems
    that have afflicted the owners of small and medium size businesses
    and the salaried employees.

    The state cannot wash its hands off the relations between the employers
    and the employees, between holders and renters of property. It is
    its duty to intervene actively and to monitor those relations.

    One could object that the laws are sufficient for managing those
    relations.

    But the whole problem is that conflicts arise because of violations
    of those laws, because of the arbitrariness of the officials, and
    because of the all-consuming corruption. If the state refrains from
    taking up that responsibility, tomorrow it will be done by unions,
    which, as a result of the state's passivity will form, then gain in
    strength, because there is no other way of protecting the workers'
    interests. Taking into account the importance of this issue and the
    imperative of avoiding social turmoil, the Armenian National Congress
    is ready to extend consulting and legal support for the formation
    of independent trade unions. We have declared many times that the
    creation of civil society in Armenia is the main goal of the Congress,
    and trade unions are one of the most important components of it.
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