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Former workers of Yerevan-based Nairit chemical plant staged a protest today outside the Armenian government to demand the plant’s re-launch.

An ex-spokeswoman for Nairit, Anush Harutyunyan who was earlier a member of the group coordinating protests of Nairit’s staff, told reporters that they want to know what measures the government is taking to re-launch the enterprise.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister of Armenia Yervand Zakharyan said at the parliament sitting on September 16 that the government is ready to discuss any proposal related to re-operation of Nairit. “The plant’s bankruptcy is not advantageous to the government. Quite large sums are allocated for it, and the re-launching the enterprise would be more convenient for the government,” the minister stressed.

Workers of Nairit have been staging protests since late 2014, with some political forces of Armenia supporting their actions. They demanded full repayment of their back wages totaling 5.7 billion drams over the past 4 years. The plant announced 1,700 layoffs on February 6, 2015. In early August the Armenian government fully repaid the back wages of about 2,400 workers of Nairit plant.