Fifteen miners go on hunger strike in Georgia

Part of the striking workers of the mining-and-refining combine, dissatisfied with the talks with the leadership, have gone on a hunger strike at the Mayoralty building of the city of Chiatura in Georgia.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 16, about 150 workers of the Rustavi Metallurgical Combine, which, in particular, is engaged in ore mining in Chiatura, began a strike, demanding to increase their wages and improve working conditions.

Negotiations with the leadership continued all day, but brought no fruit, said Paata Samkharadze, an official of the United Trade Union of Georgia. According to his story, after that, 15 miners began a hunger strike, demanding to improve working conditions and raise their wages by 50%.

"Our protest will continue until the demands are met. We are living in dire need and will starve until wages are increased," said Archil Chumburidze, one of the hunger-strikers.

Irakli Garibashvili, the political secretary of the ruling "Georgian Dream" Party, has supported the strikers' demands.

The bosses of the "Georgian Manganese" Company, engaged in extracting manganese ore in Chiatura, have linked the workers' protests with the election of the Mayor of the city, scheduled for May 19, the "News-Georgia" reports.