350 Dismissed from Azot Enterprise Hold Protest Rallies

The 350 employees dismissed by Azot in Rustavi claim they have been fired without explanation. They are holding protest rallies in Tbilisi along with metallurgy, mining, and chemical industry workers; Trade Union members; and the representatives of the students’ movement, Green Fist.

The employees say that they were dismissed on January 25th, and claim that the enterprise plans to make a total of 700 redundant. According to the protesters, the Bank of Georgia bought shares of Rustavi Azot and refused to prolong contracts with the workers.

“They had no motive for our dismissal. When we went to work on January 25th, our contracts were annulled and we were told that our services were no longer required,” said former employee of Azot, Mamia Shamugia.

Tamaz Dolaberidze, Head of the Trade Union, says that the protests will continue until the released employees are returned to work.

The protesters are also going to file a lawsuit to protect their rights.

The Bank of Georgia has yet to comment. However, Rustavi Azot leadership says the employees have not been dismissed “The old contracts expired and the company is working to prepare new contracts.”

At 50-years-old, chemical enterprise Azot, located in the city of Rustavi in southeast Georgia, is the only manufacturer of nitrogen fertilizers not only in Georgia, but in the whole region of the South Caucasus.

Thea Morrison

Source: For.ge