PM Gakharia on miners’ protest: investors, employers must fully meet their obligations
PM Giorgi Gakharia says that the problems miners face are unacceptable. Photo: government of Georgia press office.
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Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that investors and employers must fully meet their financial obligations and ensure appropriate working conditions for their personnel, in a response to an ongoing miners’ protest in Georgia’s Tkibuli municipality, where workers are demanding salaries and a decision on the reopening of two mines.
Today, Economy Minister Natia Turnava will travel to Tkibuli not to familiarise herself with the situation but to settle the problem,” Gakharia said.
He stated that the Georgian government is doing its best to ‘stand by business and support its development’.
However, business should also consider current social conditions of people and fully meet their obligations,” Gakharia said.
Miners are demanding back pay in Tkibuli, western Georgia, which, as they say, should have been received on September 15. They are also demanding the reopening of the mines.
Six miners died and three have been injured as a ceiling collapsed at the Mindeli coal mine in the town of Tkibuli in western Georgia on April 5, 2018. Photo: Radio Liberty/Free Europe.
Work has been suspended in the Mindeli and Dzidziguri mines of Tkibuli since July 16, 2018 after a fatal explosion left four miners died and six others injured.
The Georgian government invited German experts to study the situation in the mines and promised salaries and insurance coverage before the mines are reopened.
The Georgian Ministry of Economy stated yesterday that the conclusion of the German DMT company revealed safety violations in Tkibuli mines and Sakhshiri was given recommendations to eradicate the flaws one year ago.
Saknakhshiri, a daughter company of Georgian Industrial Group (GIG), which owns the mines, says that the company faces financial problems due to the suspended work, promising giving the salaries to miners at the beginning of October.
Up to 30 miners went to the mine in Georgia’s western Tkibuli municipality and have plans to stay there until their employer gives them and others their salaries and the government decides on the fate of mines.
Several of fifteen miners of the Georgian Manganese in Georgia's western town of Chiatura have sewn their mouths in protest as the company refuses to fulfil their demands regarding increased salaries.
The President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has offered his deep condolences to President Giorgi Margvelashvili and the Georgian population over the tragic accident at the Mindeli coal mine in western Georgia that has claimed the lives of six and injured three.
Chiatura Mine shift manager Tariel Bitsadze, 50, and explosives expert Zurab Gamezardashvili, 26, were working in the mine in Perevisa village yesterday, conducting a controlled explosion when they were badly injured.
Miners in the western Georgian mining town of Tkibuli have stopped their protest today as they have been promised to be paid their salaries on Monday, Georgian Minister of Economy Natia Turnava said yesterday after meeting with Saknakhshiri, a daughter company of Georgian Industrial Group (GIG) and miners.
The new owner of the Tkibuli mines, Steel International Trade Company, has fully paid the salaries of miners formerly on strike demanding back pay, announced Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava today.
A mine worker has died in the western Georgian region of Chiatura today. The tragic accident happened at the Darkveti mine at around 10 pm, claiming the life of Gaga Botchorishvili, 26.
Georgian Manganese Company has released a preliminary conclusion for the tragic incident that occurred at Darkveti mine in the western Georgian region of Chiatura yesterday, saying that the fatality “was not caused due to technical malfunction, a land collapse or any other accident at the scene”.