Tuition Fees of Children of Laid-off Nairit Employees Not Deferred by YSU

Yerevan State University Rector Aram Simonyan has failed to fulfill the motion by Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan to defer the payment of tuition fees of the children of laid-off employees of Nairit chemical factory for four months. 

Three of the workers' children have been notified by the university that they had to pay the tuition fees immediately, otherwise they would be expelled from YSU, Anush Harutyunyan, former spokesperson of the plant, said during a protest action by Nairit workers in front of the RA Presidential Palace on Tuesday, May 12. 

The deferment of tuition payments was the only demand in the employees' 9-point claim to the Government that the Prime Minister had promised to fulfill. Nairit trade union head Hrach Tadevosyan had submitted to the Government a list of Nairit workers' children's names and their respective universities. So far, the Government's motion has not been carried out only by YSU.

Recall, the Nairit employees had presented a 9-point claim to the Government. Among the requirements, they demanded that the authorities froze the payments on the bank loans taken by the laid-off employees or their family members until the full repayment of the back wages (18-25 months); deferred the payment of tuition fees for laid-off employees' children; deferred payments on utility services; in case of illness, provided former and current employees of the plant with the necessary surgeries within public procurement; recalculated the pensions of retired employees in the last 2 years.