▲The Mindeli Mine in Tkibuli. Photo: Lana Kokaia/OC Media.
At least three miners from the Saknakhshiri company have alleged that they were laid off for political reasons, part of what one of them described as a larger group ‘up to 100’ dismissals.
Speaking with the online media outlet Mautskebeli, Giorgi Abuladze, one of the miners, claimed that Saknakhshiri had dismissed him after 18 years of service, despite sustaining burns and permanent eye damage from a gas explosion while working six years ago.
Abuladze claimed his dismissal was politically motivated, alleging that shortly before being fired, an acquaintance advised him to leave the Coalition for Change opposition alliance or risk both his own dismissal and that of his brother and sister-in-law.
He said the threat was fulfilled as all three of them eventually lost their jobs.
Giorgi Abuladze. Screengrab from Kutaisi Post video.
Another laid-off miner, Khvicha Gabunia, also told Mautskebeli that there were political motives behind his firing.
Gabunia stated that his manager had summoned him to the office multiple times, demanding he stop posting Facebook updates critical of the government and warning that they would ‘personally take revenge’ if he continued. He added that he faced pressure after urging miners to voice their opposition to the Georgian government.
Another fired miner, Pridon Robakidze, also made a similar claim.
‘I’m not happy with what is happening right now’, Robakidze stated in conversation with online news outlet Netgazeti, evidently referring to the government's recent anti-EU turn and crackdown on the protests that have emerged in response.
‘I want freedom. Is this what life is? Being fired, detained, or imprisoned just for expressing your opinion? […] Of course, I know this is happening for political reasons! I spoke up for Georgia, and now here I am, sitting at home’, Robakidze was quoted as saying.
The company denied any political motives or actual layoffs, claiming instead that a portion of their workforce was offered three to four months of fully compensated retraining, including salaries and benefits, with a promise of rehiring the workers upon successfully passing an exam.
In a separate statement published on their Facebook page, Saknakhshiri announced that they had already retrained and renewed contracts for 350 employees as part of their ‘reorganisation and staff optimisation process’ that began three months ago to implement ‘European standards’. They also noted that out of 38 recently suspended employees, 20 had agreed to undergo additional retraining.
Saknakhshiri is a Georgian-Ukrainian group and the sole coal mining company in Georgia. It has been wholly owned by Steel International Trading Company LLC since September 2019.
In October, BMGrevealed that the company extended credit to the Kartu Foundation, founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party. The loan reportedly amounted to nearly ₾150 million ($53 million) last year.
On 25 December, the Georgian left-wing activist group Khma said that a ‘significant portion’ of the dismissed miners believed they were victims of political persecution due to their own or their family members’ political affiliations.
Khma speculated that Saknakhshiri’s reorganisation might serve as a pretext to eliminate politically active and experienced organisers, such as Ruslan Butskhirikidze, one of the dismissed workers who has a history of leading strikes in previous years.
Despite numerous strikes in Tkibuli, the latest incident stands out as arguably the first where multiple employees have alleged they were dismissed due to their political views or perceived affiliations, whether real or assumed.
After fleeing a not-so-promising academic career and a disastrous attempt at being a bisexual activist, Shota is now a grumpy staff writer covering Georgia-related topics at OC Media. He focuses on nationalism, far-right movements, gender, and queer issues, with an eye on Eastern and Central Europe.
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