From January 31 to February 10, 2025, employees of "Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine" CJSC conducted a strike demanding improvements in working, environmental, and health insurance conditions, as well as wage increases.

During this period, the combine's production activities were suspended.

According to information available in the press, after certain negotiations between the strikers and the combine's management, in which members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia participated, and according to press reports, the strike ended at their initiative and ZCMC resumed its operations.

During the strike, the combine dismissed 8 participants of the strike from work. After the strike ended, the dismissed citizens who had participated in the strike applied to the court demanding reinstatement to work.

During this period, we learn that ZCMC has applied to the Court of General Jurisdiction of First Instance of Syunik Region of the Republic of Armenia with a claim for 4,758,480,000 (four billion seven hundred fifty-eight million four hundred eighty thousand) Armenian drams against 8 citizens who participated in the strike from January 31 to February 11, 2025, and were dismissed from work for that reason, and by court decision, a prohibition has been placed on the property of these citizens.

These citizens have found themselves in a situation where their constitutional rights have been violated.

We record that it is clear that the amount demanded by the company from 8 ordinary citizens cannot be paid by the citizens. Accordingly, society has the right to attribute this phenomenon to an attempt to destroy the economic viability of these citizens and bankrupt them, which will serve as a bad example for others to remain silent in the future and not voice their opinions.

Such phenomena are considered in international practice as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP). They are applied particularly in authoritarian societies and are condemned by democratic states, international democratic institutions, and human rights organizations. The European Union and the Council of Europe have adopted directives and recommendations and suggest that partner and member states develop legislation to counter SLAPP processes ( EU directives , CoE recommendations ).

In this case, the continued development of SLAPP processes in Armenia does not fit into the logic of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and is an obstacle to Armenia's aspirations for rapprochement and integration with the European Union, already enshrined at the legislative level.

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative standard defines transparency-oriented dialogue between representatives of the mining industry and communities and citizens, while the created situation contradicts the EITI standard and principles and casts a shadow over the Republic of Armenia's EITI process, which has so far received high praise from the EITI International Secretariat.

The strike that took place in Syunik may be precisely the result of the lack of healthy dialogue, which the strikers spoke about during the strike days. Trade unions in Armenian reality are not sufficiently established to respond to the created situation in time and serve as consistent platforms for dialogue.

The Civil Society Faction of the Multi-Stakeholder Working Group of the Republic of Armenia's EITI considers unacceptable the presentation of a claim for 4,758,480,000 Armenian drams against former employees of ZCMC, and in general any disproportionate restriction on citizens' labor, social, environmental, or other rights.

We demand from the Government of the Republic of Armenia, as co-owner of ZCMC.

• To ensure that the lawsuit filed against the combine's employees is withdrawn,
• To provide a comprehensive solution to the issues raised by the ZCMC strike participants and present a public report on this matter,
• To reinstate the dismissed citizens to their jobs.

We demand that the next session of the Multi-Stakeholder Working Group of the Republic of Armenia's EITI be convened around this issue within the shortest possible timeframes.

Civil Society Faction Members of the Multi-Stakeholder Working Group of the Republic of Armenia's EITI.

Oleg Dulgaryan

Member of the Civil Society Faction of RA EITI MSG

Anahit Simonyan

Member of the Civil Society Faction of RA EITI MSG

Nazeli Vardanyan

Member of the Civil Society Faction of RA EITI MSG

Victoria Burnazyan

Member of the Civil Society Faction of RA EITI MSG

Sona Ayvazyan

Alternate Member of the Civil Society Faction of RA EITI MSG
 

May 29, 2025