Alvaro Noboa

Employees ask that Molinera be reopened

Yesterday, a group of Industrial Molinera workers accompanied several company executives during the submission of documents to the Internal Revenue Service Regional Offices (SRI) by which they hope to effect the removal of the closure seals.

The workers protested because they have been off work for close to a month and blamed the IRS for carrying out an act of political persecution whereby, they stated, workers were the most badly affected.

IRS representatives said they would review the documents and carry out the legal procedures before allowing the company to function again. Up until last night, Industrial Molinera continued to be closed down. In front of the IRS building, several employees shouted demands they be allowed to return to work.

Another group argued that due to the flour distributor closure, the city's bakeries and those of several coastal towns were not being properly supplied with wheat flour, which was reflected in the high price of bread and of other products using this ingredient.

"Citizens are also affected by the closure of the flour distributor as bread becomes more expensive and less available", affirmed one worker.

"The period of the imposed closure has elapsed, but the IRS is not lifting the sanction", maintained another employee.