Azerbaijan, Baku, July 23/ Trend M. Moezzi
The Khazar Cement Plant, one of Iran's biggest, stopped production about 10 days ago.
The Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reports the reason is truck drivers' refusal to transport the cement at the rate paid to them by the Gilan Province Government, the plant's operator said.
As the plant cannot store the cement it has produced, it had to be shut down.
Khazar Cement Plant's shares are owned by various public sectors. Restarting the plant will include heavy costs including the removal and replacement of fireproof bricks in the oven which usually takes 10 to 15 days. There are no production means and no income for the plant. This will cause problems when employees' salaries have to be paid.
Knazar's managing director Hamid Eghbalian says that drivers have agreed to the newest rate (a 15 percent increase) offered to them. The plant will begin working tomorrow.
The Khazar plant exports cement to Russia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Iraq and Turkmenistan.