Armenian citizens can feel calm – the minimum monthly wages have been raised by 2,500 AMD up to “as much as” 32,500 AMD (about U.S. $90).

The RA Parliament adopted amendments to the relevant law in their first reading. Only 13 MPs voted against the bill. Particularly the Heritage faction severely criticized the bill. The MPs consider it a disgrace to raise minimum monthly wages by just 2,500 AMD (about U.S. $7) with galloping prices in the country.

The Heritage faction members rightly pointed out that a 5,000 AMD increase in minimum monthly wages was budgeted for 2010 in the crisis year of 2009, so a higher increase might have been budgeted this post-crisis year for next year. Despite the Heritage faction’s violent protest, qualified as “pluralism” by Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan, the parliamentary majority unanimously voted for the bill.