Online taxi drivers pay state duties and earn more than 200,000 drams per month, yet they are not considered registered employees, said Mesrop Manukyan, a member of the Mother Armenia faction of the Yerevan Council of Elders.

“The rights of online taxi drivers are totally violated, and in Armenia there is no institution — neither the Human Rights Defender, nor the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, nor anyone else — that deals with protecting their rights,” he said, Panorama.am reports.

The drivers approached him to publicly raise their social problems and alleged violations of their rights.

“Tomorrow a person will not receive a pension. Today, goes to a bank, and is denied a loan. This is racketeering by the state,” Manukyan said.

According to him, a proposal has been made to register as employees those who work 10 hours a day and earn 200,000 drams or more per month.

“We consider this unfair. The signature collection will continue for two days, after which the demands will be submitted to the government. If no steps are taken, taxi drivers will initiate acts of peaceful disobedience,” Manukyan said.

Taxi driver Satenik Vardanyan also joined the protest.

“Nowhere are we considered employees. We demand to be registered so that we are recognized as people with a primary source of income,” she said.

Another participant warned that if the demands are not met, drivers are prepared to stage a protest by taking their cars onto the streets.

“Can you imagine what will happen if 500 cars drive slowly through the city?” he said.