Chiatura miners protest and demand exit of Georgian Manganese from local mines, 4 March 2025

The protests against Georgian Manganese began...in the centre of Chiatura, near its town hall. Protesters there have repeatedly demanded a meeting with a government representative.

This is the latest in a series of protests and strikes against Georgian Manganese, which residents of towns and villages in the Chiatura region have consistently accused of damaging their homes through its mining operations and of labour violations.

In October 2024, Georgian Manganese, citing financial crisis, announced that it was halting the operation of manganese mines in Chiatura and the Zestaponi Ferroalloy Plant until 1 March 2025. Miners would still receive 60% of their salaries according to the announcement.

However, work has only resumed at the Zestaponi Ferroalloy Plant, and Chiatura’s miners claimed they have yet to receive their February wages.

Protesting miner Davit Chinchaladze told OC Media that the miners no longer have demands for the company, and that they instead want it to leave the municipality altogether, and for the state to take over the mines and processing ‘in compliance with regulations and standards’...

According to Georgian Manganese, Chiatura is home to a dozen of mines, with much of the manganese extracted from the region being sent to the Zestaponi Ferroalloy Plant for further processing.

In addition to the company’s withdrawal from Chiatura, Chinchaladze said that demands include ensuring that locals benefit more from manganese extraction through the creation of a fund for children living in the municipality and using production revenue to provide free municipal transport in the municipality.

They also demand that environmental issues caused by manganese mining be addressed...

The company also said that a ‘radical protest’ being held by the residents of Chiatura and the picketing of seven out of 12 mines in the municipality led to a 70% shortfall in manganese extraction...

The company claimed that the Shukruti protests triggered a ‘financial crisis’ which ‘completely halted’ industrial operations in Chiatura.

However, those involved in the protest questioned the company’s claims of a financial crisis, pointing out that it managed to restart operations at the Zestaponi plant.

They also alleged that, despite halting mining operations in November 2024, Georgian Manganese continued extracting manganese in Chiatura — not from underground mines, but through open-pit mining, which they claimed has now doubled in scale...

...Georgian Manganese’s representatives once again claimed that there was an ongoing financial crisis as a result of the protest, and that the ‘current situation further complicates the company’s ability to secure financing from the financial sector to pay salaries’.

‘We understand and are concerned about the situation of Chiatura’s miners, and a decision on further operations should ultimately be made through an agreement’, said Temur Khonelia, a representative of Georgian Manganese’s contractor, the Chiatura Management Company.

Khonelia also claimed that despite the ‘crisis’, the company have paid ₾82.6 million ($23 million) in wages ‘since the beginning of 2024’...