31 October 2012, 19:00
In Georgia, negotiations of administration and workers of Poti Port fail to resolve labour dispute
In Poti, the administration and the workers of the port failed to reach an agreement on the amount of wages and improvement of working conditions.
Let us remind you that on October 25, more than 200 workers of the port of Poti held a two-hour warning strike. The strikers demanded improvement of working conditions, compliance with safety regulations, registration of labour agreements and decent wages.
"In 2012, the port workers' wages were increased by an average of 19 percent, and by the time, the average wage reached 900 laris (about 600 US dollars).The full-time employees have health insurance, and they are also insured against accidents, and for those insurances, the company pay monthly for each employee 110 laris (about 70 US dollars). As far as we know, this is an unprecedented case in Georgia," said Joseph Crowley, General Director of the Poti Port, on the day after the strike, which took place on October 25.
In his turn, Kaoka Sadjaya, the leader of the trade union of the Poti Port, stated that an average wage in the port reaches 100-200 laris (65-130 US dollars). Members of the trade union explain the discrepancy in the figures by the fact that the average wage, mentioned by Joseph Crowley, includes salaries of top management and qualified professionals, and the trade union leader speaks of income of the lower and mid-level employees.
Author: Beslan Kmuzov Source: CK correspondent
