Georgian metallurgists of the Eurasian Steels Company at the Gerkules
factory in Kutaisi will hold a strike on September 13, Trend reports.
The chairman of the entity, Irakly Petriashvili, will meet the
factory’s staff and trade union on September 9. The staff want their
demands to be fulfilled in three days. The workers are demanding
improvement of labour conditions and the return of fired staff.
A warning strike was organized on September 2.
The first trade union of Gerkules was formed on August 4, due to poor
labour conditions. The factory lacks an operating toilet and a
canteen, there is no locker room and no first-aid post, despite high
risks of injuries. The staff lack work clothes and equipment.
However, the main problem is the labour contracts with low wages,
irregular labour time and poor schedule of payments. There has been no
index-linking for three years. All attempts to improve labour
conditions have resulted in punishments and the dismissal of 6 members
of the trade union on August 11.
The Gerkules factory was built by Eurasian Steels (India) at the
former Kutaisi factory for reinforced concrete works. It was launched
in late 2008.
