On May 19, the management company of “Georgian Manganese” - Chiatura Management Company -  issued a statement declaring that the miners participating in the ongoing mass protest in Chiatura had been “permanently dismissed” from their employment.[1] This announcement came unexpectedly for the miners and was issued while they were still engaged in negotiations with the company’s management.

For the past three months, the Chiatura miners have been continuously protesting severe violations of their labor rights by the company, including non-payment of wages, unlawful reorganization, and mass dismissals of employees - developments that have led to acute social hardships for the miners and their families. In April of this year, a new administration took over the reorganization process of the company, and its actions have further exacerbated the situation.[2] The reorganization of the company has been marked by grave violations of fundamental labor law standards and the labor rights of the miners.

To resolve the situation and find common ground, a meeting was held last week between the miners and the new administration. The miners presented both short-term and long-term demands to the new leadership. The short-term demands included urgent issues requiring immediate response, such as payment of overdue wages and relief from bank obligations.[3] The company was expected to respond to these issues on May 19. Instead, it published an official statement on social media declaring that the miners participating in the protest had been “permanently dismissed,” a move lacking any legal or factual basis.[4]

According to the company, it is dismissing employees with whom it has been impossible to continue the employment relationship.[5] It is important to note that the company is demanding that miners sign a document containing information that is not factually accurate.[6] This document is a statement in which employees are said to agree to the reorganization process and voluntarily move to the status of job seekers. However, the statement provides no details on which departments and positions the reorganization affects or what kind of changes it will entail for the employees signing it. The statement claims that “employees have reviewed the new staffing schedules, vacant positions, job descriptions, and all essential terms of employment, including working hours, listed below,” - a process that never occurred.[7]

The problematic nature of this document is further evidenced by contradictory statements made by the company’s new director, Mikheil Sotski, during a meeting with the miners on May 20. When asked what would happen to miners who had not signed the document, Sotski initially stated that the miners had been “misled” and that “the only signature that matters is the one on the employment contract.”[8] However, when pressed for further clarification, he admitted that these signatures would serve as the basis for preparing contract amendments.[9] This implies that the company is obtaining prior consent (signatures) from miners on essential employment conditions that have not yet been negotiated or disclosed to them. Those miners who refused to sign the document and declined to participate in a process that gravely violates their rights are being dismissed.

The abusive and unjust treatment of Chiatura miners by Georgian Manganese’s management has been a persistent issue for years. The company has repeatedly attempted to unilaterally change essential terms of the collective agreement signed with employees, without their consent. A notable example occurred in 2023, when the company imposed unfair working conditions through ultimatums, including life-threatening workloads and schedules, which led to a large-scale strike by the miners.[10] In the first half of the current year, the company violated essential terms of the collective agreement by failing to pay the legally required 60% of the standard wage to miners placed on forced standby for several months.[11] As a result, hundreds of miners were left without basic income, triggering a severe socio-economic crisis in the Chiatura municipality. This crisis was worsened by growing pressure from unpaid bank obligations. The delayed wage payments led to overdue bank loan repayments, which in turn increased the interest rates on the miners’ loans.[12] In April 2025, the company began gradually paying off wage debts,[13] but as of now, miners have yet to receive several months’ worth of due wages.[14] Furthermore, problems related to bank liabilities remain unresolved.[15] These issues formed part of the miners’ urgent demands presented to the new company leadership. Instead of responding to these demands, the company chose to dismiss the protesting miners.

Considering the above, Social Justice Center calls on:

To the Chiatura Management Company:

• Cease the unlawful reorganization and mass dismissal of miners;
• Immediately pay the wage debts owed to the miners;
• Enter into negotiations with banks to alleviate the miners’ financial obligations.

To the Labor Inspection Office:

• Respond to the serious labor rights violations of miners employed by Georgian Manganese, including wage delays and the illegal process of mass dismissals.

To state authorities:

• Immediately meet with the protesting miners and hear their perspectives on possible ways out of the current crisis.

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