The administration of Rustavi Azot demanded an end to the strike.

Rustavi Azot employees, who are on strike for the fifth day demanding higher wages and better working conditions, have asked the Georgian government for support. Employees reported that management demanded they resume work and attempted to intimidate the strikers.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on January 28, several hundred Rustavi Azot employees went on strike in the city of Rustavi. The employees are demanding higher wages, otherwise they vowed to resort to continuous protests and paralyze the work process. On the second day of their strike, employees of a chemical plant in Rustavi called the administration's proposed wage increase humiliating and demanded an apology.

The nitrogen production plant in Rustavi, one of the largest suppliers of medical oxygen to hospitals, has effectively halted production. The plant has been on strike for five days, Pirveli TV reported today.

The workers are demanding improved working conditions and higher wages, but they say the administration is refusing to meet their demands. Protesters are calling on the government to intervene.

Furthermore, according to employees, the plant's administration is responding to the protests with threats. They say that if the strike doesn't end in the next few hours, the management of the nitrogen production plant in Rustavi plans to file a lawsuit against the employees, the report says.

"Employees who walked out of a meeting with company management on January 31 stated that the company considers their protest illegal and is threatening them with criminal punishment, which they regard as an attempt at intimidation," Publika quotes Bachana Kapanadze, an employee of the plant, as saying. She said the strikers intend to hold protests.

In April 2021, about 500 employees of Rustavi Azot blocked the entry and exit of vehicles from the plant's premises, demanding a 50% wage increase. The trade union then supported the demands of the protesters.