Georgia, Tbilisi, Nov. 9 /Trend N.Kirtskhalia /
A warning strike of some 1600 miners of a coal mine, demanding higher wages, has begun in Tkibuli (Imereti region).
A parliament deputy from Tkibuli Eliso Chapidze told journalists that the strike was declared as the administration of the Gruzugol Company is planning to reduce the number of miners working in the mines and lower salaries.
"The miners stopped work after they learned that the company administration is going to cut wages and reduce the number of employees" Georgian mass media quoted Chapidze as saying.
In order to clarify the situation Chapidze, an MP from the Georgian Dream Gia Zhorzholiani and an MP from the parliamentary minority David Bezhuashvili, who is one of the co-owners of the Georgian Industrial Group holding, held a meeting with the administration of the Gruzugol.
The administration stated that financial problems occurred due to lower demand for coal and the cuts are needed to achieve profitability. According to Chapidze, at the moment it is necessary to save jobs and wages and the new government will work to expand the market for Georgian coal.
The Tkibuli mine, named after Mindeli, is the largest in Georgia. It belongs to the Gruzugol Company, a subsidiary of the Georgian Industrial Group.