Today marks the fourth day of the hunger strike by employees of Evolution Georgia. It has been a very difficult period of their lives, they said to SiGMA News.

Earlier today “one of the strikers who has very low blood sugar needed medical attention”, explains Giorgi Diasamidze, head of the Georgian Trade Union Confederation. “There is no difference between being part of the strike or not – we the employees of Evolution Georgia all want the same outcome from the company administration, ” he added.

Over the past few months, SiGMA News has been inundated with concerns from employees, union leaders, and strike representatives about the ongoing dispute in Georgia involving Evolution. The situation has escalated, with the industry now questioning how long this standoff will persist.

In an exclusive interview this week, SiGMA News spoke with Giorgi Diasamidze, Chairman of LABOR and head of the Georgian Trade Union Confederation, Makhare Patashuri, and Tamar Ansiana, a representative of the Trade Union, to gain deeper insights into the matter.

The strikers, who are stationed in the same building as Evolution’s senior management, have reported an increase in the number of hunger strikers. They feel secure in their position at the entrance of the company’s main building, where their visibility is high. This strategic location not only ensures their safety but also amplifies their message.

The Union has also initiated a petition for support from non-strikers, aiming to escalate their resolution in this dispute. The growing support, they believe, reflects the widespread discontent within the company and the urgent need for a resolution.

LH: Can you elaborate on the primary issues that initiated the strike at the Tbilisi office of Evolution?

Diasmidze, Patashuri, Ansiana: There are a number of factors which initiated the strike. But the main and initial thing that triggered the strike were the leaked screenshots of Evolution’s team managers . The team managers wrote comments that were in very bad taste. In our opinion they were racist, sexist and discriminated comments about the dealers who were employees of Evolution. There were other problems that included lower wages, in our opinion unnecessary breaches and violations to the dealers, health and sanitary issues. Overall, employees, in particular dealers were not being treated with respect by our employer.

LH: How would you react to Evolution’s assertion that the strike has inflicted irreversible harm to its operations?

Diasmidze, Patashuri, Ansiana: The company has a solution at this stage, it can sort out the relationship with the strikers and union which means meeting the demands that have been made. Damages can be recovered after the strike is over.

“The strike will not stop and will continue until the fair demands of the employees are met “

It is true that the strike has caused a lot of difficulties to a lot of people including the strikers themselves and it’s not just the dealers and team managers who are currently working who are suffering. Some employees who are on strike have been living outside the offices of Evolution for days and there are people who lost their homes, single mothers who are currently on strike because of the unjustified treatment they believe they received from the company.

From our point of view, extreme measures had to be taken since Evolution was not ready to listen to the strikers and hear about their problems, We believe that the company was not willing to negotiate with the strikers.

The strike has also affected Evolution’s operations. It is a difficult situation for both the strikers and the non strikers but as I said earlier, extreme measures had to be taken by the strikers for the company to listen to the strikers and their problems. It has been over a month since the beginning of the strike and the company are doing everything in their power, trying to manipulate the dealers working inside to hate the strikers and so on but negotiate with the strikers and address the issue and come to a mutual agreement.

LH: Could you specify the working conditions that the employees are seeking to improve?

Diasmidze, Patashuri, Ansiana: One of the main issues is the working environment inside Evolution. Some tables are dirty and sometimes there is an infestation of mosquitoes. Some of the dealers were severely affected with skin conditions, infections and allergies. Another major issue is low remuneration. The employees are not paid enough for the work they put in. Some employees work so hard to support their families and settle for a mediocre salary and this is one of the issues we are trying to address. Some employees are disrespected with what we believe to be unjustified break of our contract. There is a list of 45 demands from the strikers. The workers had 21 days of mediation with heads of Evolution in Georgia but this was of no help so far as out of the 40 requests made by the workers, almost none were accepted. Only after this did the workers at Evolution Georgia decide to go on strike. All ministry agencies were informed about the strike. After the 21 days of silence during which the workers lived in a tent around the close and Evolution ignore the situation, and were covered extensively in the local media, did the strike actions commence. Police were present and Evolution lawyers too 24/6, but the strikers’ actions remained within the limits of the law. Evolution brought in additional security who were rude to the strikers. Some employees were afraid of losing their jobs because the company leaders had no idea what to do.

LH: Tell me more about the layoffs.

Diasmidze, Patashuri, Ansiana: Evolution frequently targets employees who are still in their probation period which is six months. They recently fired 900 people without any reason . During the strike, Evolution hired many new employees, using new hires to fill gaps during the strike. We started a hunger strike on 13 August. This decision comes after a month of protesting without any response form Evolution Georgia. Despite the Ombudsman of Georgia urging the company to engage in negotiations Evolution Georgia has taken various steps, both legal and illegal to avoid conversations with the strikers. The decision to start a hunger strike was not made lightly but it has become the only option left to draw attention to our cause. The strikers are open to negotiations with company leaders. Using such a hard form of protest and risking health is not our desired decision. For more than a month we have been trying and waiting for steps to be taken.

LH: What is the current count of employees participating in the strike, and how has this figure evolved since the strike’s inception?

Diasmidze, Patashuri, Ansiana: Several thousand workers have gone on strike since the strike began. Their number is constantly changing. Some of the employees returned temporarily and then rejoined the strike, some continue to work and some joined the ranks of the strikers during the strike. The figure is constantly fluctuating but it has never fallen below 2000.

LH: Could you detail the union’s attempts to negotiate with Evolution prior to and during the strike?

Diasmidze, Patashuri, Ansiana: During the strike period we did not make any attempts at negotiation based on the fact that both parties know that this time the initiative of negotiation should be initiated by the employer. The trade union has now been negotiating for the last two years, but Evolution has never expressed its desire to resolve the main issues. The last negotiation was conducted with the involvement of a mediator where we agreed on only one of the 39 critical issues presented. Specifically, the company only agree to the Union’s request to add a covered smoking area to the yard.

LH: How would you respond to Evolution’s claim that the strike actions were illegal?

Diasmidze, Patashuri, Ansiana: Law enforcement and police have been present since the beginning of the strike and have acted accordingly to ensure that everything being done is within legal parameters. The necessary conditions stipulated by the law for a legal strike have been observed by the trade union.

LH: What is the union’s position on Evolution’s decision to terminate 1,000 employees?

Diasmidze, Patashuri, Ansiana: Evolution has employed additional personnel to replace those who went on strike. When the strike ends, these replacements will logically be threatened with dismissal on the grounds that they will no longer be needed. Evolution has been hiring people on an initial 6-month trial period, clearly to replace the strikers. This is why, as Evolution stated in their August 5 announcement, the company has been able to function smoothly until now.

However, realising that it could not break the strike action with these replacement hires and that an agreement to end the strike is inevitable, the company is now firing those who were hired to replace the strikers and blaming it on the union. Article 68 of the Labour Code prohibits this. Dismissal during the probationary period is possible for the employer because both the Labour Code and the court do not require the employer to provide justification, payment of compensation, or advance warning (Article 17 of the Labour Code).

At the same time, if the employer plans mass layoffs, it is obliged to start consultations with the union of employees in a reasonable time with the intention of reaching a possible agreement. At a minimum, the consultation should include ways and means of avoiding mass layoffs or reducing the number of workers to be laid off, and the possibility of supporting the re-employment or retraining of the laid-off workers.

The strike will not stop and will continue until the fair demands of the employees are met. From the beginning of the strike until now, Evolution has been hiring people on a 6-month trial period to replace the strikers. This is why, as Evolution stated in their announcement of 5 August, the company has been able to function smoothly until now. Realising that it could not break the strike with the replacements and that an agreement to end the strike is inevitable, the company is now firing those who were hired to replace the strikers and blaming it on the union.

LH: How has the strike affected the morale of the employees and their perception of the union’s actions?

Diasmidze, Patashuri, Ansiana: Each person reacts differently. Confidence in the trade union has increased among strikers and their level of awareness of the situation has also increased. However, Evolution is conducting an active campaign to discredit the trade union and we think that that has managed to aggressively motivate the trade union going forward.

LH: What are the union’s planned actions if Evolution fails to meet the demands of the employees?

Diasmidze, Patashuri, Ansiana: The Union will continue to fight in strike mode until the demands are met.

Seeking a resolution

SiGMA News strives to provide a platform for all parties involved.

Recognising that there are always two sides to every story, SiGMA News has made several attempts to contact senior officers at Evolution via email, phone, and third-party intermediaries, offering an exclusive interview. Evolution has yet to accept the offer for an exclusive interview, which remains open. This would certainly shed light on the complexities faced by both employers and employees in support of a conflict resolution, possibly serving as a catalyst for calming tensions.

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