YEREVAN. – Around fifty former employees of Nairit chemical plant in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan, and who on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, have refused to meet with Nairit Director Ruben Saghatelyan.

“They didn’t bother to come,” Saghatelyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The plant director added that he does not know what new demands the Nairit workers have.

The employees, who on Wednesday assembled outside the aforesaid ministry, demanded a reply to their letter which they had addressed to Minister Yervand Zakharyan back in July, and to clarify some points in their contract.

But no one received them at the ministry. Sometime thereafter, however, Minister Zakharyan himself approached the Nairit workers.

The employees present several demands in their letter. One such demand is to nullify the decision to sign a contract and waive the requirement to also be paid the penalties and fines for the delay in the payment of their wage arrears.

The overdue salaries of all Nairit workers have been paid in full. These wage arrears were paid by the state, and on the account of the profits of state-run energy companies.

The plant workers had assembled outside the Government Building and the Office of the President numerous times, and demanded a solution to their salary-related problems.

The Nairit chemical plant, which manufactures synthetic rubber, does not operate since April 2010.