Georgian coalminers resume strike
TBILISI. March 15 (Interfax) - More than 100 workers of the Dzidzigury coalmine in the town of Tkibuli in western Georgia resumed their strike to demand higher wages and better working conditions.
The strikers said they want the management to fulfill their pledges given in November 2012.
"Our demands remain the same and we want our wages, which were cut in half, to be increased, and the miners illegally dismissed to be reinstated," a striker told Interfax.
The strike will continue until the management fulfils the demands, he said.
One thousands and six hundred workers of the Mindeli mine in Tkibuli, one of Georgia's largest coalmines, went on strike on November 8 2012 and they were joined by workers of the Dzidziguri mine amid fears of dismissals and cuts in wages, given low demand. The strike continued for more than two weeks. The management pledged after long-lasting talks that neither the wages, nor the personnel will be cut. The miners resumed work hoping that their other demands to improve working conditions would be met, too.
Both mines are owned by the Gruzugol company which in turn is a subsidiary to Georgian Industrial Group (GIG) - a company that mines coal, generates electricity, sells natural gas, and engages in logistics, development and other businesses.
