Chiatura Manganese Mines
Chiatura Management Company announces total suspension of underground mining
Locals warn that the company’s choice to carry out open-pit mining poses a bigger environmental risk.
Chiatura Manganese Mines
3,500 reportedly laid off as Georgia’s Chiatura Management Company declares bankruptcy
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Become a memberThe Chiatura Management Company, the company in charge of mining operations in the Georgian municipality of Chiatura, has reportedly filed for bankruptcy and laid off 3,500 of its employees.
On Friday, local media outlet Mtis Ambebi reported that 3,500 employees ‘were notified via SMS a few days ago that they had been fired’.
They cited the company’s lawyer, Giorgi Kavlashvili, as saying that ‘the enterprise is currently insolvent’.
OC Media reached out to the company for additional details but has yet to receive a reply.
The Chiatura Management Company is a contractor for Georgian Manganese, which claims to be operating a dozen mines in the municipality. Georgian Manganese is the largest employer in Chiatura.
On Thursday, the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) published a statement written by the Chiatura Management Company and its partners, in which they accused the organisation of bias towards the protesting miners.
On Friday, the company’s director, Maksim Mazurenko, said that they chose to declare bankruptcy after reviewing the results of an audit prepared by the German consulting company DMT.
The statement said that the company would not resume underground mining in the area, citing its ‘unprofitability’ as local protests against the company continue.
Chiatura Management Company announces total suspension of underground mining
Locals warn that the company’s choice to carry out open-pit mining poses a bigger environmental risk.
OC Media
According to Mazurenko, the audit revealed that underground mining yielded ore of lower quality that was less efficient to process. He also cited the stagnation of manganese concentrate prices and market instability, high operating costs, and the ineffective implementation of investments.
Mazurenko also cited recurrent protests against Georgian Manganese held by the residents of several villages in the municipality.
‘We are ceasing loyalty from Monday’
Since 28 February, thousands of miners from Chiatura have been holding protests demanding that the state protect the rights of the employees of Georgian Manganese. They also demand that the state take over mining operations in the region from Georgian Manganese.
In addition to this latest protest, the residents of Shukruti, a village in Chiatura, have been actively protesting for several years to raise awareness of the damage caused by Georgian Manganese. They accuse the company of running operations that have destroyed their homes and spoiled their agricultural lands, in addition to not compensating them for any damage to their property.
On Saturday, a demonstration in solidarity with miners was held in Chiatura. Several figures addressed the protesters that day, including miners, trade unionists, and Zurab Makharadze, one of the leaders of the violent far-right group Alt Info.
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OC Media
Magharoeli, a Facebook page run by Chiatura miners, published a post saying that ‘to continue our struggle, from Monday we are ceasing loyalty and moving to radical actions’ — namely blocking any material processed or mined in Chiatura from leaving the municipality.
‘We will not allow any property created by the labor of Chiatura to leave Chiatura. Also, the minerals that are mined on the territory of the city — be it manganese, silt, iron ore, scrap metal, or other equipment and resources of material value’, the statement read.
On 10 March, BM.ge reported that the Revenue Service imposed a tax lien on Georgian Manganese on 16 January 2025. They cited the company as saying that they were indebted ‘tens of millions of lari’ to the government.
Chiatura miners protest and demand exit of Georgian Manganese from local mines
Georgian Manganese is the sole owner of a license to operate mines in the central Georgian municipality of Chiatura.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
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