Georgian port workers strike over pay, layoffs
Former Poti port workers in Georgia sacked in late 2011 have announced a hunger strike, blocking entry and exit from the port administration building.
About 400 workers of the port, who were dismissed in December 2011, are demanding their reinstatement.
Employees still working at the Poti port on the Black Sea coast of Georgia have also been on a strike since Thursday, demanding higher pay and better working conditions. About 1,200 employees gathered at the entrance to the port on Thursday morning and announced their refusal to come to work for as long as the administration does not meet their demands for higher wages and normal working conditions, Georgia Times reported referring to Russian online edition Gazeta.ru. Sailors of the port fleet and a group of reservists do not work either. Only the leased berths operate.
"The financial damage is very important and that will have a very negative impact on the port's performance," the port head Joseph Crowley said. "A lot of businesses are associated with the port and we face the danger that entrepreneurs will not import goods. This will have a bad effect not only on the state of the port, but also on the entire economy of the country."
Average wage at the port is about $60-120 per month.
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