Employees of Multi Tabak, owned by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, have demanded that their workplace reopen or that authorities explain how long the current situation will last and how they will be paid for days they have been unable to work.

“We demand that our workplace be opened so we can work normally. We do not want charity, we do not want positions. All we want is for the factory to reopen and for us to work,” a Multi Tabak employee told reporters, Panorama.am reports.

Like other companies owned by Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan, Multi Tabak has remained sealed by law enforcement for more than a week. The situation has left 150 company employees unable to work.

Workers say they should either be allowed to resume their jobs or at least be told how long the shutdown will continue and whether they will receive payment for the days of forced inactivity. They also want clarity on how they are expected to deal with their financial problems under the current circumstances.

One employee said she had been displaced from Artsakh and had been unable to find a job anywhere for a year. “I was able to start working here with the help of kind, decent people. It is a very good team. There are 15 to 20 employees from Artsakh, and we were all welcomed warmly. We all pay rent and tuition fees. Where are we supposed to get the money? They do not hire us elsewhere...”

Another Multi Tabak employee said: “We demand that they open the factory and let us work. We are all burdened with loans and debts. How can this continue? We have already been out of work for nine days. If they do not reopen the factory, we are capable of anything,” Aysor.am reports.

A further employee added: “The prime minister travels around the entire country taking selfies. Does he not think about the 15,000 workers left without work? We are already fed up. What are they thinking?”

Employees of several companies within the Multi Group concern owned by Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan held simultaneous protests outside their enterprises the previous day, demanding the removal of the seals and the opportunity to return to work. Workers at factories placed on forced downtime said that if their workplaces were not reopened, they were prepared to take extreme measures and paralyze roads.

Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan has been detained for two months. On July 6, Investigative Committee officers conducted a search lasting about 12 hours at Tsarukyan’s mansion and at more than 70 other addresses linked to him.