On July 16, 2018, four miners were killed and six injured in an explosion at the Mindeli coal mine in Tkibuli. Just a few months earlier, on April 5, another tragic incident at the same mine had claimed the lives of six workers.

In response, on July 24, miners, their families, trade union representatives, and relatives of those who had died in the mine organized a large protest in Tkibuli under the slogan “For the Right to Life and the Salvation of the City.” The demonstrators demanded safe working conditions, timely investigations into fatal workplace accidents, fair wage payments, and the resignation of the mine’s administration.

The miners also appealed directly to David Bezhuashvili, the owner of Saknakhshiri GIG Group, demanding the dismissal of the company’s general director, Jambul Jaquelidze, and collected signatures in support of this request. According to Khvicha Gabunia, a mining foreman at Mindeli Mine’s sixth section, although some demands were partially met—on July 23, the production director, mine director, and chief engineer were dismissed—the workers remained dissatisfied. They expressed no confidence in the management and demanded the general director’s resignation as well. Gabunia added that if given the chance, the miners would present their own candidates for the mine’s leadership positions.

Workers from other industries joined the Tkibuli protest, including members of the Samtredia railway union, Zestaponi ferroalloy plant, and the Youth Trade Union. According to David Vashakidze of the Samtredia Railway Trade Union, the number of fatalities over the past 18 months clearly showed that safety standards in the mine were being ignored, which is why railway workers stood in solidarity with the miners’ demands.

Children stood at the rally holding signs that read: “We Are Innocent People Sentenced to Death,” “Miners’ Struggle,” and “We Have No Workers to Lose.”

The following day, the miners suspended their protest after Saknakhshiri GIG Group agreed to negotiations. The miners proposed Eldar Chaphidze, the head of production, as the new mine director—a suggestion accepted by General Director Jambul Jaquelidze, who announced that Chaphidze would be officially appointed the next day. Jaquelidze also stated that the company would focus on improving safety measures and addressing wage payments during the ongoing investigation.

In addition to leadership changes, other key demands remained: a full and transparent investigation into the fatal incidents of April 5 and July 16, punishment of those responsible, temporary suspension of mine operations for risk assessment and modernization, and full compensation for workers during the shutdown period.