Various Websites listed a company called Confiteria Maxinel (Uruguaysolidario n.d.a; F86 n.d.; Uruguay.com n.d.), and one Website listed a company called Maxinel Ltda. (Informes.org n.d.). Uruguay.com's commercial guide to companies in Uruguay listed Confiteria Maxinel under its "Parties and Events" (Fiestas y Eventos) category, and described the company as a confectioner (n.d.). Uruguaysolidario, a Website whose objective is to strengthen civil society organizations in Uruguay (n.d.b), reported that Confiteria Maxinel helped support an organization called "Asociacion Renum Vitae" (n.d.a). The Informes.com Website lists Maxinel Ltda. at the address of "Mario Cassinoni 1627" in Montevideo (n.d.).

A brief 8 January 1999 article in Uruguay en la Coyuntura stated that the Maxinel company had closed "mysteriously" (un cierre misterioso) for an undisclosed amount of time. The article concluded that the closure "could even have a political shade" (podria incluso tener un matiz politico) (Uruguay en la Coyuntura 8 Jan. 1999). However, no information indicating whether Maxinel is still in operation today or whether it faced financial problems or any other difficulties could be found among the sources consulted. In addition, no reference to an employee union called STM could be found by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

F86.com. n.d. "Todas/Empresas e Industrias/Alimentos." http://www.f86.com/links/index.php?page=Empresas_e_Industrias/Alimentos/index.html [Accessed 29 May 2003]

Informes.com. n.d. "Confiterias." http://www.informes.com.uy/PaginasSecundarias/Confiterias/principalConfiterias.html [Accessed 28 May 2003]

Uruguay.com. n.d. "Fiestas y Eventos." http://www.uruguay.com/enlaces/economia2.html [Accessed 29 May 2003]

Uruguay en la Coyuntura [Montevideo]. 8 January 1999. "Sociedad." http://www.uc.org.uy/rs080199.htm [Accessed 2 June 2003]

Uruguaysolidario.org. n.d.a. "Muchas empresas en Uruguay ya respaldan causas sociales." http://www.uruguaysolidario.org.uy/fondos6.html [Accessed 29 May 2003]

____. n.d.b. "Quienes somos? Que ofrecemos?" http://www.uruguaysolidario.org.uy/somos.html [Accessed 4 June 2003]

IRB databases

Unsuccessful attempts in contacting the Centro Interamericano de Investigacion y Documentacion sobre Formacion Profesional (CINTERFOR) in Uruguay.

Unsuccessful attempts in contacting the office of the International Labour Organization for Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Unsuccessful attempts in contacting the Plenario Intersindical de Trabajadores-Convencion Nacional de Trabajadores (PIT-CNT).

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet sites:

Amnesty International

Brecha [Montevideo]

Centro Interamericano de Investigacion y Documentacion sobre Formacion Profesional (CINTERFOR)

Country Reports

Human Rights Watch

Global Unions

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)

El Pais [Montevideo]

Plenario Intersindical de Trabajadores-Convencion Nacional de Trabajadores (PIT-CNT)

Radio El Espectador [Montevideo]

Servicio Paz y Justicia (SERPAJ), Uruguay

Social Watch

Uruguay, Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social

Search engines:

Google

Uruguay Total