Report: group of Georgian drivers key to successful Agmaz strike
Readers may well be familiar with the strikes that took place in the spring involving drivers of the Agmaz road transport company.
Readers may well be familiar with the strikes that took place in the spring involving drivers of the Agmaz road transport company.
The strike was sparked after drivers felt they were not being paid what they were due, or were being paid late.
During the strike, a security company from Poland was hired to take Agmaz’s vehicles from the truckers that had downed tools. However, the police intervened and the scenes that unfolded merely saw the industrial action gain more media attention.
Those new to the story can learn more about what happened by reading this article from our archives.
Now, a report by Giulio Benedetti, a doctoral researcher at Maastricht University, claims that some of the Georgian contingent working for Agmaz were influential in setting up the strike.
Writing for Open Democracy, Benedetti claims that some of the Georgian drivers had had experience participating in strikes in their home country, and decided that a strike was the best way to address their predicament.
“It was the Georgians in the group, some of whom had experience of factory strikes at home, who suggested connecting with other European trade unions,” writes the researcher.
After getting in contact with Edwin Atema from the Dutch union FNV, info of the plight of the Agmaz drivers was broadcast all over Europe. Essentials were donated to help the drivers, while MEPs even dropped by to raise their concerns.
Benedetti adds that the Georgian drivers shared diverse political affiliations and views, but were able to unite behind the strike plan for the benefit of the group as a whole.
“During the week I spent with them, I witnessed several moments where the protesting drivers disagreed, but they often repeated, almost ritually, that they were standing together. Even a casual handshake was often accompanied by the word vmeste (“together”). And these were not just words: the level of mutual trust was high, even among people who hadn’t known each other before the strike,” says Benedditi.
The attitude of the Georgians towards a strike was more optimistic than their Uzbekistani colleagues according Benedditi, but as we know, they too came on board to support the action.