Regional Office Director: Decent work is a job for which you get  adequate, decent salary

ArmInfo."Decent work" is work for which you get adequate, decent wages, good and safe working conditions, social protection and freedom to organize and conduct  meetings to protect your own labor rights. "Decent work" is also a  struggle against forced child labor and discrimination.

Heinz Koller, director of the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia of the  International Labor Organization (ILO), said on May 14 on the margins  of the signing of the national program "Decent Work", which sets the  priorities of the Armenian government in the labor market, goals and  expectations for 2019-2023.  To achieve this, as pointed out by Heinz  Koller, there are ILO Conventions that, in order to have the force of  law in the country, must be signed and ratified by member states. The  goal of the "Decent Work" program, according to the ILO  representative, is to assist the Government in the implementation of  these conventions signed by Armenia.  To the ArmInfo's clarifying  question, whether this mean that the program "Decent Work" will  ensure the implementation of all the mentioned points in Armenia, Heinz Kohler said: "No, you asked a general question, and I answered it".

Today, at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia the  signing of Decent Work National Program took place, which is expected  to reform labor legislation and revise the entire employment policy.  The program will also ensure the protection of the rights of  vulnerable groups in the labor market and the realization of equal  rights for men and women. The document aims to achieve the three main  objectives - full regulation of labor relations in accordance with  international standards, improvement of employment policy in the  republic and the formation of social dialogue.  To note, at present,  the net minimum salary in Armenia is 55,000 drams ($ 113) and the  average salary in the country is 180,000 drams ($ 370). According to  the results of the 3rd quarter of 2018, the consumer basket turns out  to be 60 thousand drams (about $ 123). The subsistence а вҐ in the  republic exceeds both the average pension and the minimum wage - at a  rate of 62,330 drams per person per month.  Meanwhile, the  unemployment rate in Armenia, calculated using the new methodology,  decreased in 2018 to 20.4% of the average annual, from 20.8% in 2017. And in the calculation according to the old method, a decrease in the unemployment rate for 2018 to 16.3% of the average annual was recorded from 17.8% in 2017. According to the RA Statistical Committee, the new calculation method does not take into account those employed in the household. According to the source, as of January 1, 2019, in the calculation using the new method, the number of the employed population reached 915.5 thousand people (with an annual growth of 1.4%) or 45.4% of the economically active population (against 44.7% in 2017), and there were 234 thousand unemployed people ( an annual decline of 1.1%). In the calculation according to the old method, the number of employed population reached 1073.8 thousand people. (with an annual growth of 6.1%) or 53.3% of the economically active population (against 50.1% in 2017), and there were 208.4 thousand unemployed people (with an annual decline of 4.8%).