Tbilisi subway drivers on strike, mayor rejects salary increase
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All access to the Tbilisi metro has been closed to passengers since early this morning due to a strike of the metro drivers.
Tbilisi City Hall has provided passengers with free buses appointed particularly for this day to avoid traffic around the city.
Metro drivers started their strike yesterday and have gathered in Gladni Depot currently demanding an increase in their salary from the Tbilisi mayor.
Kakha Kaladze assesses the demonstration by the drivers as "blackmail towards the citizens of Tbilisi”.
"I as the mayor of this city, [and the person] accountable to more than 24 thousand employees of city hall and one and a half million citizens of Tbilisi, declare with full responsibility that I will not allow the population of the city to be affected by blackmail and unidentified, totally unsubstantiated ultimatums,” Kaladze said explaining that the salary of the metro drivers, amounting to GEL 1400-1800 (USD 569-731) monthly, is more than that of patrol inspectors, emergency service workers, and teachers.
"I believe citizens have the right to know what was happening during the negotiations - they requested their salary to be increased by 45% at the expense of the cost of the subway travel which is categorically unacceptable for us,” Kaladze said.
The mayor’s statement about their salaries was denied by the workers of Tbilisi Metro. According to them their gross salary amounts to GEL 1000 to 1060 while net salary decreases to GEL 800.
They have also denied reports that they requested an increase in salaries at the expense of travel cost. The metro drivers continue demanding their hourly salary (GEL 6.92) to be increased to GEL 10 (USD 4).
“Harmful precedent”
The decision of the Tbilisi City Court, by which the right of the employees of Tbilisi Metro to strike has been restricted, is a harmful and dangerous precedent for labour rights, says Georgia’s public defender Nino Lomjaria.
A total of 30 million GEL (about $12.35m/€10.43m) will be allocated from the state budget for the implementation of infrastructural projects in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi planned for 2019-2020.
A new University Metro station has opened in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi, better connecting residents living in the city.
Bilingual maps with metro stations, main streets and other landmarks around each station have now appeared in the Tbilisi subway system.
Train drivers continue protest
The drivers of Tbilisi subway trains continue their protest, demanding increased salaries. On the other hand Tbilisi City Hall says this year there is no financial resources to increase salaries for subway drivers and promises to start discussions on the issue in 2019.
Tbilisi metro drivers have stopped their strike on the third day as a verbal agreement has been reached with Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze over a gradual increase of salaries. Drivers returned to their jobs at 2 pm today and said that their salaries will rise step by step from January 2019, until the hike reaches 45 percent.
Starting from today Tbilisi Metro will serve passengers from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., due to the planned repair works which will continue for a year.
The union of the Tbilisi Metro train drivers says the majority of drivers and other employees of the company have tested positive for COVID-19.