On the 33rd day of the strike, three employees of the Georgian online casino Evolution Georgia resorted to an extreme form of protest by going on a hunger strike.
According to them, they will not stop until the demands of the strikers are met.
The strike of Evolution Georgia employees began on July 12. It involves 5,000 people – more than half of all employees. However, the casino management claims that only 800 people are on strike. The main demand of the strikers is an increase in wages and the creation of decent working conditions.
The Trade Union of Agricultural, Trade and Industry Workers “Labour” claims that the strike and hunger strike of the casino employees are indefinite. On August 12, they issued a statement, reporting that the company “Evolution Georgia” began to attract unidentified individuals who are behaving aggressively and provocatively towards the strikers.
The massage was:
We call on the government, the president, the ombudsman, political parties and non-governmental organizations to state their position on the violent and provocative actions of the company and not to allow the hunger strike of 18-25 year old employees.
Full responsibility for the development of events in the future lies with the administration of “Evolution Georgia”, which is trying to intimidate and beat employees, as well as with the government, which is obliged to protect the interests of the citizens of this country from a company that insults them, threatens them and imposes intolerable labor standards,” the union said in a statement.
Evolution Georgia employees sent 44 appeals to the company’s management. The negotiation process began on June 4, before the strike was announced, and ended on June 24 without producing any results. Nikoloz Katarapiashvili, one of the members of the trade union’s organizing committee, says the reason for this is the frivolous attitude of the management towards them.
On August 5, Evolution Georgia issued a statement in which it noted that if the situation does not change, it will cease operations in Georgia. According to Radio Liberty, the company has already moved most of the gaming tables to Armenia, and at the moment, only managers and cleaners remain in the main casino building in Tbilisi. The company stated that the reason for the suspension of operations was the “unlawful behavior” of the organizers and participants of the strike.
Evolution Georgia is a subsidiary of the Swedish Evolution Gaming Group, which entered Georgia in 2017. The company provides “live dealer” gambling services, where players interact with a real dealer live, placing bets with real money. Evolution Georgia has about 8,000 employees, some of whom have created their own trade union.
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