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Wave of Protest Strikes in Poti

October 29, 2012

Inga Gvasalia, Poti

On October 25, employees of Poti Port went on strike in the early morning, which paralyzed work in the port all day long.

The employees of the port protested against the violation of their labor rights and requested improvement of the labor code. They also requested improved working conditions, increased salaries, resolution of nutrition problems, medical insurance for the employees of the terminals # 14 and # 4, accountability of shift managers for insulting and ill-treating the employees and to re-employ their sacked colleagues.

The majority of the strikers works in reserve brigades and stated that their labor contracts were not signed yet.

“The law legalizes slavery, our rights are not protected, return port to Poti and its residents,” the port employees exclaim. They said the situation worsened in the port after APM Terminali started. Although they promised the employees to improve working conditions, the situation further worsened.

Former employees of the port, who were fired from their jobs, also joined the protest. 750 employees were fired as a result of reorganization in December of 2011.

Chairman of the Port Trade Union Koka Sajaia said the strikers gave time to Josef Crawl, director general of the Poti Port, before November 1 to satisfy their requests. Crawl promised to satisfy their demands in the near future. Unless this promise is kept before November 1, the employees will start large-scale strikes.

In parallel to port employees, drivers of the transit cargo vehicles also held warning rally. They complained about companies, which hired foreign drivers to work on their vehicles. They also request the establishment of a transport ministry and reduction of taxes.

They told humanrights.ge that if the railway department monopolizes the cargo transportation, they would lose their jobs. They said the process started after the Georgian Railway was assigned to a partnership foundation, whose leader is former prime minister Nika Gilauri.

“It is not only our problem; hundreds of other people share our fate. We request to abolish the monopoly and allow us to transport goods by methods besides the railway, like it always happened before. Banks are selling our houses; the tax department demands us to pay taxes; what shall we do after all that? Shall we die of starvation?! Families are standing behind us,” a protester, Zurab Gvlia said.

Drivers said they will send a special petition to the parliament and government in defense of their rights.

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