Chiatura Miners Strike, Demand Raise and Improved Working Conditions

Employees of Georgian Manganese LLC in Chiatura have entered the seventh day of their strike, persisting in their demands for equitable wages and enhanced working conditions. Miners, along with their families, continue to protest on the streets. The strike has caused a complete halt in operations across all mines, affecting over three thousand employees.

Following the protests that commenced on June 6, the company “Georgian Manganese” issued a statement on June 9, noting that they had refrained from exporting their products this year due to the crisis in the ferroalloys market. This crisis resulted in a decrease in product demand and a significant decline in prices.

In light of the global situation, Georgian Manganese proposed revised working conditions to its employees. The proposed changes include a transition to a new work schedule, which involves minimizing administrative costs and shifting from a two-shift, 12-hour workday to a three-shift, 8-hour workday. Despite the adjustments, employee salaries, breaks from work, and working hours will remain unchanged throughout the month.

The workers are dissatisfied with the proposed changes put forth by Georgian Manganese. Giorgi Neparidze, a protester, expressed his concerns to “Radio Tavisupleba,” stating: “For example, if a miner used to work 12 hours and used to produce a certain amount of ore in that time, we now have to produce that amount of ore in eight hours. This means that you have to get twice as much resource in a shorter amount of time for the old wage.”

Prior to taking their protest to the streets of Chiatura, the miners initially requested from “Georgian Manganese” a 12% wage increase, labor safety improvements, proper equipment, better ventilation in the mines, and a return to their previous work schedule, and improved working conditions, amongst other things. However, an agreement could not be reached, prompting the miners to resume their street demonstrations. Over time, the miners assert that their demands will intensify, possibly escalating to a hunger strike as an extreme form of protest, and a demand of a 40% wage increase instead of the initial 12%.

On June 12, Georgia’s Ombudsman, Levan Ioseliani, briefly responded to a journalist’s question regarding the issue. He stated: “We are always ready to play the role of a mediator in such a process, but here, as far as I know, the problem is between private entities, and we call on the state to do its best in this regard – to mediate between the employer and the employees so that their conditions are improved and an agreement is reached on specific issues. If necessary, we will participate, in accordance with our mandate.”

Joint statement of the CSOs

On June 12, the Georgia Fair Labor Platform, along with other CSOs, issued a statement urging state agencies, the media, and the Public Defender to promptly address the matter.

They are urging the Minister of Labor, Health, and Social Protection and the Labor Inspection Service to dispatch representatives to Chiatura to assess the situation. Furthermore, they call for the appointment of a ministry mediator to initiate a dialogue process and conduct an investigation into the working conditions of the miners.

They urge the Public Defender to fulfill the duties of the office by visiting Chiatura, engaging with the miners, and gaining an understanding of their grievances. They also emphasize the need for the Public Defender to issue recommendations to the relevant authorities and make a public statement advocating for the labor rights of the miners. They also call on the media to actively cover the ongoing protest in Chiatura to raise awareness and encourage the inclusion of this issue on the political agenda, while highlighting the accountability of decision-makers.

Miners in Chiatura have resorted to strikes on multiple occasions. Prior instances of protests occurred in 2019 and 2021, when employees rallied for increased wages and improved working conditions. Notably, the 2021 protest took an extreme turn, with one participant sewing his mouth as a form of protest during a hunger strike.

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