Former employees of US oil and gas company Frontera hold rally demanding salaries
The protesters demanded 11 months worth of salaries as the company has not paid. Photo: 1tv.ge.
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Former employees of the American oil and gas company Frontera gave held a rally demanding they receive back pay.
The protesters demanded 11 months worth of salaries as the company has not paid.
Former employees also demand to return to their jobs and say that they were fired after their rally on December 17 demanding their salaries.
The protesters held a rally earlier today in front of the Tbilisi State University and marched to the Frontera office.
Photo:1tv.ge.
Protestors say that the company owes salaries of 84 employees worth more than 1 million GEL ($0.35 million/€0.32 million).
The government of Georgia and American company Frontera are in arbitration for “violating contract conditions,” which are confidential.
Frontera says that it has suffered $3.5 billion in damage in Georgia.
Frontera, which was founded in the US in 1996, entered Georgia in 1997 and founded Frontera Eastern Georgia.
The Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation owns 50 per cent of Frontera Eastern Georgia.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has met with US Senator Jim Risch, a chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Jeanne Shaheen, a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, in Washington earlier today stating that the senators ‘have very obviously seen the political will of the Georgian government to further strengthen democratic institutions in the country.’
Georgian Independent MP Beka Natsvlishvili, who left the ruling Georgian Dream party last year, has addressed US congressmen, senators and newly appointed Ambassador Kelly Degnan regarding the activities of American oil and gas company Frontera, which has been drilling in eastern Georgia starting 1997.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze has responded to a recent open letter published by US Congressman Markwayne Mullin on ‘the deteriorating economic climate’ in Georgia, by saying that Georgia listens to the official statements of the US government. “Top officials of the US State Department and our American partners say that Georgia has irreversible progress in terms of development of democratic institutions."
"The idea of American business being oppressed in Georgia is not true”, said Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani in response to the letter of US congressman Markwayne Mullin sent to Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, where he expressed his concern about the US business interests in Georgia being ‘subjected to harassment and expropriation attack’ naming oil and gas company Frontera Resources from Houston, Texas.
Heads of three oil selling entities in Georgia have been detained for the use of false customs documents which resulted in 3,558,799 GEL (more than one million USD) in damages to the state budget.
The Georgian government has decided not to terminate its contract with Frontera Resources Georgia Corporation and to allow the company to continue operating in part of the original contract area.