The seal on the Yerevan Ararat brandy, wine and vodka plant owned by the family of detained Prosperous Armenia Party leader and businessman Gagik Tsarukyan has been removed, but operations have yet to resume, RFE/RL reports.

People at the site observed employees repeatedly entering and leaving the premises. However, according to one of the plant’s representatives, production has not restarted and tax authorities are conducting inspections inside the facility.

The State Revenue Committee did not answer telephone calls.

Employees of Multi Stone have staged another protest, saying they are prepared to take drastic action if they receive no response, Panorama.am reports.

“The plant has been idle for 10 days. We have approached different people, but no one has given us an answer so far. Whoever we turn to says there is no response,” a Multi Stone employee told reporters.

The worker said Tsarukyan had built factories from scratch and created jobs, allowing money to flow into the state budget while employees were able to cover their own expenses.

“If we do not receive an answer today, we will take drastic steps. Our patience has run out. We are ready for anything and no longer know what to do. If the country does not want to support us, then we must do everything we can to provide for our families.

“It cannot continue like this. No one gives us an answer or tells us whether the closure will last one day or 10 days. No one has said, ‘Stay home, but we will pay your wages,’” the employee said.

Several major companies owned by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan’s family have been out of operation for a week, leaving their employees effectively on forced downtime. Workers from Multi Stone, the Ararat brandy, wine and vodka plant, the Pharaoh restaurant and the Multi Grand hotel have staged protests demanding permission to resume work.

Production at the Ararat cement plant also stopped last week. Following a protest by employees, however, government intervention led to permission being granted for operations to restart.

The doors of Olympavan and the Multi Wellness center have also been sealed for a week. Their employees and athletes organized protests last weekend. Law enforcement authorities have also sealed the doors of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia and suspended its operations.