Armenia: Indians and Iranians Fuel Labour Market

Armine Avetisyan

Yerevan based journalist

Tuesday, 25 April, 2023

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Four years ago, 35-year-old Guri paid an intermediary 10,000 US dollars to arrange travel from India to Armenia, with high hopes that he and his wife could move from there to make a life in Europe.

“Well, I’m guilty that we behaved like illiterates,” he said. “We were told that Armenia is a Schengen zone like Europe, and we would get a Schengen visa on the spot. We came, but were taken and kept in a small house. The intermediary said he was going to another city on business and would come back, then he disappeared. After a month, we realized that we had been deceived. The owner of that house wanted the rent, otherwise we would have to leave, and we had been told that we would stay there until we got the papers to cross the border.”

Guri’s experience is far from an isolated case. Although Armenia is open to labour migration from India – in 2017 the visa system was even liberalised further – traffickers exploit people’s ignorance of these rules to extort large sums of money. They also promise easy access to Europe, and many Indians travel thousands of kilometres to Armenia only to find themselves deceived.

Guri and his wife found other Indians who helped them find work. Now employed at a car wash earning about 15 US dollars a day, Guri said that he had no complaints about his working conditions and that he often received tips as well.

“I earn at least 100-150 dollars a week,” he continued. “My wife earns more: she works in a cake factory. In my country, we could never earn such amount of money. Europe has become Armenia for me.”

“I know several other families, but you know, none of us is displeased that we came here,” Guri continued. “There is a lot of work in Armenia, it’s true that it is not a very rich country, but here you feel human.”

However, Indians who rely on labour traffickers to reach Armenia have no protection when things go wrong.

Ram (not his real name) paid 3,000 dollars to get to Armenia three years ago. A cook by training, he went to Armenia to work in an Indian restaurant where he had been assured a salary of around 1,500 dollars per month. Things did not go as planned.

“I was promised a separate room, but they placed me in a three-room dormitory where about ten people live,” he said. “Imagine what it means. Since my job hadn't started yet, I decided to put up with it, save money and then leave, because I was going to bring my wife and children here as well. The owner of the restaurant where I was taken to work was an Indian. I did not receive a salary for the first two months, they said that from the third month he would pay all at once. At the end of the third month, however, I received only 500 dollars. When I demanded the rest of the money, they said there is none, this is it. And I couldn't do anything because at that time I was in Armenia illegally, I didn't have any papers, I didn't have any contract.”

Ram’s wife, back in India, borrowed money so he could get back on his feet. He now works in another restaurant where he says that his employer is fair and he receives a good salary.

“Today I already have the right of residence,” Ram said. “I live in decent conditions. I have read so many laws that I feel like a cook-lawyer. Our whole problem is being uninformed.”

Ram said that he knew of many cases like his, but that victims remain silent due to their illegal status. The last case of Indian citizens being subjected to labor trafficking in Armenia was registered in 2018, although the practice continues.

Unlike Indians, Iranian labour migrants to Armenia are better informed, perhaps because the two countries neighbour each other. Iranians also have visa-free access to the country and often work in the building or service sectors.

Abbas, 28, has been living in the capital Yerevan for two years. A construction worker, he said that he had changed employers three times during this period.

“The first time I came, I agreed to work for ten dollars a day,” he told IWPR. “My employer said that we would be paid twice a month. I worked there for two months, but didn’t receive anything. I didn't have any contract. I couldn't demand anything. I left that job and the next day started another one in another place. Today, a building is being built in Yerevan on every square metre - it is so easy to find a job.”

However, although the second employer paid on time, he demanded Abbas do far more work than they had initially agreed on.

“Again, I didn't have a contract, moreover, I don't know the language and that was even more of a problem. I had to work because I needed money. I suffered there for half a year, but I couldn’t leave because I was the breadwinner of my family.”

Erik Astvatsatryan, a spokesman for the ministry of labour and social affairs, stressed that all employees must have a contract when starting work to ensure their rights were protected.  Those with permanent and special residence status in Armenia also have labour rights.

“Hiring foreigners without proper residence status or work permit creates administrative liability,” Astvatsatryan said. “It is important to note that the employment relationship between the employee and the employer originates from a written employment contract or an individual legal act on hiring.”

According to the Armenian migration service, 2,212 citizens of India and 1,607 Iranians received the right of residence in Armenia last year. This marks a steep rise from 2021, in which 1,092 Indian citizens of and 744 Iranians received residency.

Abbas went on to find new work with the help of an acquaintance, where he receives about 15 dollars a day. Ten other Iranians work alongside him in the company.

Laughing, Abbas said that it would be impossible to find a construction site in Yerevan with no Iranians, adding, “And Indians... Sometimes I think there are no Armenian workers.”