On March 16, 2023, representatives of the Public Defender's Office met with the employees of Sairme Mineral Waters LLC who are on strike and received information about the current situation in the company.

The workers of the factory named the problems with safety at work, including faulty equipment, working in an environment dangerous to health, lack of sanitary and hygiene norms as the reasons for their strike. In a conversation with the representatives of the Public Defender, the employees said that the management of the company would conduct negotiations only on the condition if the trade union and its director did not participate in the process. Such an attitude, according to them, indicates the unacceptability of the trade union and discrimination based on trade union membership.

The employees of the factory note that they managed to realize a number of essential labour rights with the help of the Trade Union of Persons Employed in Agriculture, Trade and Industry. Accordingly, considering the lack of knowledge in legal matters and low trust towards the representatives of the company, the strikers intend to conduct negotiations only with the participation of the trade union, especially since they hope for an agreement with the management, as their main desire is to return to the workplace and contribute to the proper functioning of the enterprise.

It should be noted that proceedings are already underway in the Public Defender Office to examine the alleged discrimination of the employees by Sairme Mineral Waters. After information was requested by the Office, the employer paid the January salary to the employees participating in the strike. However, at this stage, the strikers are waiting to be paid for the work done before February 13 (the day when they started the strike). The Public Defender hopes that the employer will pay the relevant part of the salary without any delay.

Taking into account the above, the Public Defender calls on Sairme Mineral Waters LLC to take tangible steps, in a form acceptable to the employees, in order to reach an agreement. The Public Defender’s Office continues to examine the case and will make a final decision after a complete study of the information and documentation provided by the parties.