18:00, 16 March 2013

Tbilisi: taxi drivers refuse to strike

In Georgia, the drivers of fixed-route taxis have decided to refrain from striking for as long as the Parliament of Georgia accepts amendments to the new labour code, said Lavrenti Alaniya, the leader of the trade union of transport workers.

From January 25 to February 1, drivers staged protests in Tbilisi, demanding to cancel their status of individual entrepreneurs, improve working conditions and reduce the daily plan. They were going to start striking on March 5.

"However, when drivers learned that the Parliament would adopt a new labour code before the end of March with higher safeguards in protecting workers' rights, they decided to postpone the strike," Lavrenti Alaniya told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to taxi drivers, they had to pay three types of fees: the route fee, taxes and monthly pay for their minibuses purchased under the instalment plan.

Author: Beslan Kmuzov

Source: CK correspondent