Chiatura’s Past, Present, and Fight for the Future.
Nestled in the steep valleys of western Georgia, the mining town of Chiatura has long stood as a symbol of industrial ambition — and now, of grassroots resistance. What began in the late 19th century as a booming center for manganese extraction has evolved into a city caught between its mineral wealth and the costs of exploitation. Once responsible for half of the world’s manganese exports, Chiatura’s fate was shaped by the ore beneath its soil — but today, it’s being reshaped by the voices rising above it.
This is not just the story of a company or a commodity. It’s the story of a community built on labor, shaken by privatization, and determined to reclaim its future. It’s about workers who organized underground and are now leading a movement above ground — demanding fairness, ecological repair, and control over the resources that define their lives.
Chiatura’s past tells of glory and growth. Its present speaks of struggle and solidarity. And its future — uncertain but fiercely contested — depends on how this fight unfolds.
The Origin and Development of Chiatura
The origin and subsequent development of Chiatura were determined by the industry that emerged around the manganese ore deposit located in the Qvirila River valley. The town was founded in 1879 when, through the initiative of Akaki Tsereteli, manganese ore extraction began. By 1895, around 6,000 people were working in Chiatura, and manganese accounted for 50% of global exports.
Chiatura is one of the most important centers for extractive industry in Georgia and for manganese mining and processing in the South Caucasus. The city’s main enterprise is the Chiatura Manganese Deposit, which currently employs 3,620 people. Chiatura supplies manganese concentrate to the ferroalloy plant. Today, the manganese extracted in Chiatura makes up a significant part of Georgia’s total exports.
Chiaturmanganum Georgia – A Leading Manganese Producer and Exporter
Chiaturmanganum Georgia LLC was founded in 2008 and since then has been the manufacturer and exporter of Ferroalloys. The company owns raw material deposits, mining licenses and manganese ore enrichment plants. Teams of professionals and modern technologies ensure high quality of our products. CHMG produces up to 40 000 tons of ferroalloys annually and supplies its partners throughout the world. Our extensive list of business partners and long-term history of successful cooperation prove our products’ compliance with international standards and our reliability as business partners. – — as stated on the company’s official website.
The Legendary License: Miners Uncover Long-Secret Document
In recent months, an initiative group formed by local miners succeeded in obtaining the mining license, which they publicly disclosed on March 26 via their Facebook page, titling the post: “The legendary license that had been strictly classified.”
According MTIS AMBEBI – Since 2007, the manganese mining license has been held by Georgian Manganese LLC under a 40-year agreement. The sole owner (100%) of Georgian Manganese is Georgian American Alloys. The controlling stake in this company belongs to Ukrainian billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky, while approximately 4% is owned by a Georgian shareholder group connected to the ruling Georgian Dream party—most notably Giorgi Kapanadze (also known as “Rizha”).
The supervisory board of Georgian Manganese includes Giorgi Kapanadze (Chairman), Aleksandre Meladze, and Mariam Lashkhi.
Since 2017, the Georgian government has appointed a special manager to oversee the company due to the severe environmental damage caused by its operations in Chiatura—damage deemed equivalent to an ecological catastrophe. The state intervention aimed to prevent irreversible harm. In reality, however, the situation worsened. Open-pit mining drastically increased, and Chiatura has increasingly come to resemble a disaster zone.
Broken Promises and Silent Mines: Chiatura’s Workers Fight for Answers
Mining operations in Chiatura were suspended starting November 1, 2024. Workers were promised they would receive 60% of their salaries until March 1, 2025, when mining was expected to resume.
However, in a statement released on December 29, the workers’ initiative group noted:
“The situation is becoming increasingly critical. Even the so-called ‘pension’ (60% salary) that was promised by the company—no one knows how long it will last. In recent months, even distributing that amount has become difficult. Logically, there’s almost no reason left to think positively.”
A follow-up statement on January 20 further highlighted the delays:
“According to the agreed-upon terms, we were supposed to receive our salaries on the 15th of each month. However, since production was halted in November, we’ve never received payment on time. It’s the same now—five days have passed, and we still have no clear information: Will we get paid today, tomorrow, or the day after?”
This partial salary was not paid out until April, following a long and difficult process led by the miners themselves.
“Will the mines reopen in March?”
key question
As of April, this question remains unanswered.
The same statement emphasized the broader crisis:
“The shutdown of the mines has been a heavy blow—not only to the workers, but to ordinary residents of Chiatura. Small and medium-sized businesses are struggling, and delayed salaries are making the crisis even worse. What does the future of Chiatura look like without production? And even if operations resume, what if they continue under exploitative, one-sided conditions? In either case, both the town and its people are being pushed into a very difficult situation.”
Back in January, workers began requesting a meeting with the mayor of Chiatura to discuss these issues. That meeting held on April 4.
Still Standing: Chiatura’s Workers Remember 2023
On January 30, Chiatura miners reflected on the 2023 strike and the outcomes they achieved through their collective struggle.
“In 2023, miners responded with a strike to unbearable working conditions and increased labor intensity imposed by the company. We, the organizers of the protest, were ordinary workers who, through great effort, managed to achieve partial success: some demands were met, others were handed over to commission review. As an initiative group, we represented the workers’ side alongside the local trade union. However, due to a lack of legal authority, many agreements did not bear our signatures.”
The group noted that over the past two years, they have consistently defended workers’ interests, all while continuing to work regular jobs in the mines. Now, with the company halting operations and moving to a 60% wage system, the situation directly affects 5,000 employees, of which 3,000 are based in Chiatura.
Achievements Earned Through Collective Action
“Thanks to our efforts, the following changes were made:”
Mine switched to a 12-hour shift system
Introduction of hourly wage equalization
200% pay for working on official days off
Canteen spaces at mining facilities (some completed, others still underway at the time of closure)
Most notably, through democratic, grassroots pressure, the insurance provider was changed—a rare precedent.
“Though we were not the ones signing the contracts, this happened because of the people’s collective effort.”
It’s worth noting that the 2023 strike itself was triggered by the company’s failure to uphold prior agreements. Each subsequent strike in Chiatura has repeated core demands: fair wages, safe working conditions, and a reduction in environmental harm caused by mining operations.
In response to these strikes, the company and even government officials have often raised the argument of a potential “social crisis.” Authorities have repeatedly echoed a similar message during protests: that investors are not in need of a workforce, but rather, workers should be grateful for the investor’s good will. During a municipal assembly meeting, Chiatura’s mayor even remarked—with a mentoring tone—that:
“We should all cherish the investor.”
Chiatura’s mayor – Givi Modebadze
A City of Repeated Strikes
Over just the past eight years, Chiatura has seen five major strikes: June 2018 - May 2019 - April 2021 - June 2023 - December 2023
this list doesn’t include numerous smaller protests and pre-strike phases that didn’t evolve into full-scale walkouts., using this narrative to discourage labor unrest. This tactic has not only been employed by Georgian Manganese, but also by the state itself.
Chiatura Miners’ Movement Gathers Strength: Calls for Justice, Environmental Accountability, and Ownership of Natural Resources
“We Were Never Gone – We Were Preparing”
On February 26, the initiative group representing Chiatura’s miners released a public statement responding to recent claims on social media alleging the group had “gone silent,” been “bought off,” or had stopped caring about the fate of the city.
“Let’s not demand that our city make aimless sacrifices by standing out in the cold and bad weather without clear demands or organization. Workers are dispersed — many are stuck in villages due to weather, others have lost hope and won’t respond to a single call. To protest now without preparation would mean low turnout, which would give the company reason to declare: ‘Chiatura is broken, nothing will change.’ We’d look weak in the city’s eyes and lose trust in one another. That’s exactly what our opponents want.
Instead, what we must do is prepare, organize, and form small solidarity networks in our personal and social spaces. We need to know what we are fighting for and be ready for that fight so that only a few people aren’t left alone again, like in November, weakening the resistance as it happened before.
We’re still here. Just because we don’t post every day doesn’t mean we aren’t working every day to reignite this movement. The time is now for organizing — the sun will soon rise, both metaphorically and literally. And we must be ready.”
This call was quickly answered by citizens who urged renewed engagement and solidarity.
A Reminder of the Bigger Picture: GM’s Monopoly and Destruction
On February 27, the miners posted another statement underscoring a fundamental issue: Georgian Manganese (GM) holds an exclusive right to extract, process, and export manganese in Georgia until 2046. No other entity is permitted to operate in the industry during this time.
“GM’s extractive practices have devastated entire villages — Shukruti being a clear example,” the statement noted.
In Shukruti, the company mined beneath residential areas, destabilizing the ground and causing:
Home collapses
Soil subsidence
Infertility of agricultural land
Drying of wells
Even the local school is at risk of collapse, forcing children to travel to other villages to study.
Shukruti is only one of 12 villages facing similar threats. Additionally, miners cited data from 2017, revealing GM’s operations caused 416 million GEL in environmental damage, including destruction of 87,000 GEL worth of forest in 2016 alone.
Since 2007, when GM took over Chiatura’s resources, 10,000 people have left the city. Each year, between 300 and 1,000 more residents leave. Today, about 37,000 people remain, with over 12,000 relying on government aid due to poverty.
“Look around — economic collapse, rising utility bills, bank debts, food prices. Is silence really an option anymore?” the group asked.
A Turning Point: Chiatura Demands
In a bold new call to action, the initiative group announced a mass protest:
“The time has come for Chiatura to reject externally imposed agendas. From now on, anyone planning to invest, govern, or do business in this city must align with Chiatura’s agenda.
A new era of unity begins now. This is the start of victory for Georgia’s working class.”
Solidarity quickly spread online and offline. Activist group “Khma” (Voice) stated:
“Change will not come as charity. Our miner friends understand this — and all of Chiatura looks to them with hope. They must also count on us.”
Key Demands: From Ecological Repair to Structural Change
During the protest, demands were finalized via community vote:
A direct meeting with the government.
Removal of the investor.
Creation of a Chiatura Community Fund for ecological restoration and social investment.
Financing local education, health, and infrastructure.
Being managed by a community-elected board.
Drawing income from a share of GM’s profits and state contributions.
The model is inspired by international mining funds, including:
Chile (mining revenues used for health and education),
Botswana (diamond wealth reinvested in infrastructure),
Peru (special mining taxes for local development),
South Africa (rehabilitation funds for post-extraction recovery).
The Call for Nationalization
In the midst of the mobilization, a controversial but powerful term emerged: nationalization.
“Our guaranteed wealth is slipping from our hands. Every Chiaturian has the duty to defend it,” read a viral statement accompanied by a poll.“
97% of respondents agreed: natural resources should belong to the state.
The case for nationalization rests on the fact that manganese is essential for:
Steel production
Battery manufacturing
Electronics
And Chiatura’s deposit is one of the largest in Europe, with 215 million tons of high-grade ore.
Currently, most profits leave the country, while Chiatura suffers the ecological and social costs. Nationalization is proposed as a way for locals to manage and benefit from the resources directly.
On March 15, thousands gathered in Chiatura in a historic protest. Both sides of the Kvirila River filled with demonstrators. Shops closed in solidarity, and workers joined the march.
Support extended beyond borders:
Letters of solidarity arrived from Armenian and German miners.
“Victims of the Union”: Chiatura Miners Accuse Trade Union.
As the workers’ protest gained momentum in Chiatura, management at CMC (Chiatura Management Company) launched a counter-campaign targeting both the grassroots labor initiative and the protest itself. A company spokesperson once again claimed that manganese extraction in Chiatura is economically unsustainable, stating that the company cannot fulfill its obligations regarding salaries and compensation.
While isolated financial struggles in specific mines may occur from time to time, workers emphasize that Chiatura is only one link in a fully integrated value chain. The manganese extracted locally is processed in Zestaponi, where it generates significant revenue. Georgian Manganese owns and controls the entire industrial ecosystem in the region — from extraction to export. For miners, the narrative of “losses in Chiatura” is a manipulative half-truth aimed at weakening public support for the strike1.
According to the workers, it’s not just the company playing this game. They say the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) and its chairman, Irakli Petriashvili, are complicit. Trade unions became active only after the workers’ initiative group sought legal assistance from the Social Justice Center. When the center’s lawyer attempted to contact union leadership and key industry figures, no communication was established. The lawyer’s intention was to review the collective agreement and examine the legitimacy of the bankruptcy case — a move that many believe was a strategic bluff. As the workers stress, CMC does not even hold the mining license — it’s merely a management entity, aiming to align production costs with market prices.
Broken Trust: Miners Call Out the GTUC
Though demonstrations began at the end of February, miners had previously made numerous attempts to engage in dialogue. Throughout, GTUC Chairman Irakli Petriashvili remained silent. This, despite the fact that many of the striking workers are dues-paying members of the Confederation — contributing up to 80,000 GEL monthly. According to miners, Petriashvili consistently sides with business interests and only intervenes when employers require stabilization. In this case, it was no different.
Years of unaddressed grievances have led miners to completely distrust the GTUC. One of their core demands is for Petriashvili to step away from the process, and for workers to have direct representation in the tripartite commission — a body formed after the company filed for bankruptcy, though the court ultimately rejected the filing.
In parallel, miners accuse figures close to Petriashvili of attempting to discredit protest leaders through cyberbullying and targeted misinformation campaigns. They also claim that the union leadership participates in official negotiations without consulting workers and acts based on its own political agenda, not the interests of those on strike.
Another flashpoint came when Petriashvili publicly claimed that, thanks to union intervention, the company would receive a loan to cover 60% of January wages. The lender? Liberty Bank — a financial institution owned by the same business group that controls the Rustavi Metallurgical Plant and the television TV “Imedi.” This deepened suspicions among miners of a larger conflict of interest, especially since the GTUC has publicly protested against the Rustavi plant, but continues to cooperate with its affiliated bank.
Even more striking: during a strike at Rustavi Steel (owned by the same business group), Imedi TV — one of Georgia’s most influential broadcasters — did not air a single report about the protest. Yet the same channel has covered Petriashvili’s activities favorably, while discrediting the Chiatura miners. The union segment responsible for Rustavi Steel also includes Chiatura’s miners, further highlighting internal contradictions.
On March 22, over 150 workers at Rustavi Steel went on strike in parallel with the Chiatura protests. According to the miners, this reveals the union’s double standard: protesting the plant’s owners on one hand, while collaborating with their bank on the other.
“Victims of the Union”: Protesters Confront Leadership
In early April, the miners took their protest to the capital. They demonstrated in front of the Government House, the Public Broadcaster, the GTUC headquarters, and the Ministry of Health. While most of the demonstrations remained peaceful, the protest at the GTUC building was different.
There, all doors were locked to dues-paying members. A police cordon physically separated the workers from their union leadership. Protesters describe this as clear evidence of the union’s alignment with state power. Inside the compound, GTUC members organized a counter-protest, using a megaphone to hurl insults at the striking miners.
Chairman Irakli Petriashvili himself emerged during the protest, mocking the demonstrators: “Is this all the people claiming to be harmed by the union?” He followed with verbal insults, according to witnesses. Disillusioned but not defeated, the miners returned to Chiatura.
Solidarity Kitchens and “Corridors of Shame”
Back in Chiatura, the community protest evolved into a survival initiative. Miners opened a solidarity kitchen at the protest site, feeding neighbors and family members who had lost their income. Citizens from across Georgia began contributing to a support fund, which now helps provide food and medicine to affected families.
Then, on April 16, news broke that GTUC officials were meeting inside Chiatura’s City Hall with local authorities and company representatives — once again, without notifying or coordinating with the workers. In response, miners formed a “corridor of shame” as the union leaders exited the building.
“We have a concrete plan that concerns the welfare of every Chiaturian,” the miners wrote in a statement. “We must realize this plan in partnership with state representatives — people who have the power to solve this situation fairly. That means we need direct worker representation on the tripartite commission. Now is not the time for betrayal or backroom gossip.”
“We live in an era of savage capitalism, where the investor is treated as untouchable. Our main trade union was born out of this same capitalist system and often fails to protect labor rights. Our labor code, once at risk of disappearing altogether, now protects investors more than workers. The right to strike has been nearly eliminated. The tools we once had to defend ourselves have been devalued or destroyed. Today, workers are forced to fight not just companies — but the unions meant to protect them.”
A Message from the Miners
“Our demands and agenda concern every single resident of Chiatura — our shared well-being. We have a clear action plan to take this cause to the finish line. What matters most now is putting this plan into action together — with state representatives who are empowered to resolve this crisis fairly. For that, workers must have a seat at the table — real representation in the tripartite commission.
Now is not the time for backstabbing or gossip.” – “Magharoeli “(Miner)
