The company accused them of “inciting and organizing illegal actions and production sabotage.” It said their dismissal conformed to Armenian labor legislation.
In a statement, the ZCMC management also warned the other striking employees to immediately return to work or risk losing their jobs.
“Your guarantee of retaining employment at ZCMC depends on your immediate resumption of work,” it said.
“It was a predictable move for which we were ready,” one of the fired workers, Vahe Mkhitarian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
“The coordinating council will definitely change its tactic under the predicted scenario,” he said without elaborating. “The struggle is continuing. I see no problem. Everything is going according to plan.”
Mkhitarian was among representatives of the striking workers who twice met with senior ZCMC executives earlier this week to discuss their demands for a significant pay rise and better working conditions. The meetings ended without agreement, with the company management reportedly refusing to raise the workers’ wages.
The several hundred of some 4,600 people working at the mining giant demanded a 50 percent pay rise when they began the strike on January 31. The management countered that they already earn significantly more than the national average wage of 291,000 drams ($730) per month.
The protesters pointed to what they see as a huge wage gap between them and ZCMC employees holding managerial positions. Still, they appear to have softened their demands since then.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service hours before the announcement of the eight sackings, some of the striking workers said they are ready to end the strike and continue negotiating with the management. But it was not clear whether the organizers of the walkout support this course of action also favored by a Yerevan-based trade union.
Meanwhile, a mid-level police officer addressed the protesters outside the ZCMC premises in the southeastern town of Kajaran, claiming to speak on behalf of the Armenian government. He called for an end to the strike while assuring them that the government “stands with you” and supports their demands.
The government did not confirm that the policeman was authorized by it to make that statement. It has so far been reluctant to intervene in the strike despite holding an almost 22 percent stake in the ZCMC and the fact that the company is Armenia’s leading corporate taxpayer.