Georgian company refuses to meet demands of striking miners

The "Georgian Manganese" Company called on miners on strike in the city of Chiatura to return to their work and accused them of disrupting agreements. Negotiations give no results, and the strike continues, the spokesperson of the trade union reports today.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 16, in the city of Chiatura, about 150 miners started their strike with the demand to raise their wages and improve working conditions.

For the seventh day, the miners, engaged in mining manganese ore, continue their protest in Chiatura. 15 protesters are on hunger strike. 150 people continue the strike, the "Rustavi-2" TV Company reports today. "We will fight to the end until the administration of the mines agrees with our demands," one of the protestors said on the air of the TV Company (hereinafter translated from Georgian by the "Caucasian Knot").

Today, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been informed by Tamaz Dolaberidze, the chairman of the trade union of the metallurgical, mining, and chemical industry workers, that the negotiations with agents of the "Georgian Manganese" Company do not produce any results.

In its appeal released on May 22, the "Georgian Manganese" Company called "inadequate" the demands to raise by 50% the wages of the miners working at the mining and processing plant. "The Company's administration believes that the miners' actions are illegal and go beyond the law," stated the "Georgian Manganese" Company in its release as quoted by the "Sputnik-Georgia".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 23, 2019 at 13:27 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.