Railway strike ends: Workers and administration reach agreement

Thousands of Georgian Railway workers have ended their seven-day strike after the railway trade union reached a partial agreement with railway bosses today.

About 60-70 percent of the 12,682 Georgian Railway employees went on a strike on November 26 with a demand of improving conditions and raising salaries.

According to today’s agreement, the workers’ demands were partially satisfied. The sides agreed all employees would receive New Year bonuses as much as 50 percent of their regular salaries at the end of 2014.

The strikers’ other demands – to be paid overtime compensation and also to be paid for the days they spent away from work during the strike – was not satisfied.

However, the strikers were promised that even though Georgian Railway was set to switch into a new salary system in 2015, those who earned less than 1,250 GEL per month would not see their salaries decreased.

Under the new salary system, more qualified drivers were promised bonuses starting from 2015. From the second half of 2015, Georgian Railway employees were also promised to receive premiums three times a year, which would be as much as 30 percent of their regular salary.

Meanwhile the railway trade union has addressed the Constitutional Court to deal with the matter of overtime compensation, as it believed this issue was not clearly stated in Georgian legislation.

The Georgian Railway said if the Court ruled in the workers’ favour, it would compensate overtime working for each employee backdated from January 1, 2014.

Moreover, the sides agreed to establish a commission to study how both sides fulfill the responsibilities they agreed to in the deal.