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A group of employees of Armenia’s Ministry of Culture went on strike on Friday morning to protest against the Armenian government’s plan to merge the ministry with other institutions. 

An employee of the ministry says they received a notice by the government on Thursday saying that starting from 1 January a part of the structure will merge with the Ministry of Education and Science, while another part of it will be incorporated into the Urban Development Committee.

The protesters have voiced their concerns in a letter to be submitted to Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The deputy secretary general of the ministry said no discussions have been held on the optimization of the ministry with its staff.

“We are angry that there have been no professional, public discussions. I have no idea who and how decided that,” said one of the protesters.

The protesting staff said that they shared their concerns with Minister of Culture Lilit Makunts at a meeting on Thursday, with the minister assuring there will be no job cuts in case the ministry dissolves.

“Our struggle is that the Ministry of Culture should be free from any political upheavals. It should be strengthened and be granted oversight leverages,” a participant said.

The protesting staff of the culture ministry were joined by employees from the Ministry of Diaspora, which is expected to be downgraded to a department under the Foreign Ministry.

The protesters marched to the government HQs to convey their letter to the acting PM.

Highlighting the role of culture throughout Armenia’s history, the protesters asked the government to withdraw the draft decision and review it, expecting a response on Monday morning.

They also demanded a meeting with Pashinyan, stressing the issue is pressing since the decision is expected to enter into force on 1 January.

The protesters warn that if their request is not considered, they are ready to stage a sit-in and continue protests during holidays.

After handing the letter, the protesting staff of the ministers returned to work.