For the past eight years, the Hrayr Marukhian Foundation’s Office for the Protection of Labor Rights has been providing services aimed at protecting labor rights and related legal rights.
The Office was established in January 2018. During seven of its eight years of operation, it provided free legal consultations and legal representation in court proceedings concerning the protection of labor rights.
During this period, the Office has provided more than 2,500 legal consultations to over 1,000 individuals and represented clients in approximately 500 court cases. Through the Office’s efforts, employees from various sectors have recovered approximately AMD 300 million in compensation and other payments as a result of having their rights restored.
However, following amendments to tax legislation, the Office was compelled, as of January 2025, to begin charging beneficiaries for services that it had provided free of charge for seven years. Nevertheless, the fees charged remain symbolic and minimal, serving solely to cover the Office’s tax and other statutory obligations to the state. In essence, despite providing legal representation and other legal services, the Office generates no profit from its activities.
Over the years, citizens have approached the Office with a wide range of labor-related complaints and legal issues, including unlawful dismissal, termination of employment contracts, recovery of unpaid wages, compensation for unused annual leave, employment-related deposits, maternity benefits, submission of medical leave certificates, termination of employment contracts at the employee’s initiative, legal recognition of facts (including confirmation of employment history), disciplinary sanctions, internal investigations, pension payments, and the protection of domestic workers’ rights. The Office has also addressed several legal issues beyond the scope of labor law.
Particular attention is given to cases involving politically motivated dismissals. These cases concern employees holding opposition views or affiliated with opposition political parties who have been dismissed from positions within the public sector, including ministries, state non-commercial organizations, municipal administrations, and regional governor’s offices.
It is worth emphasizing that the Office achieves favorable outcomes in the majority of these cases, securing the reinstatement of employees to their positions and obtaining compensation on their behalf.