On June 4, 2018, the Tbilisi Metro, which transported hundreds of thousands of passengers daily, went on strike for the first time in its history. Metro employees—mostly train operators—were demanding higher wages. Negotiations with the Tbilisi City Hall and the municipal Transport Company failed to produce results.

The workers initially planned to strike on May 3, but since they were employed at a strategic facility, a court temporarily prohibited them from striking for 30 days and, on May 21, indefinitely banned strikes during working hours.

Despite this restriction, metro drivers decided to protest in a way that would not violate the law. On June 3 at 3:00 p.m., they gathered at the Gldani depot and began a hunger strike. According to metro regulations, train operators must pass a medical check before starting work—something they could no longer do once they began fasting. As a result, the metro could not open on the morning of June 4.

The protest was organized by the independent metro union Unity 2013 with legal support from the Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (now the Social Justice Center).

Although months of negotiations had failed, City Hall blamed the employees for halting metro operations. To ease public dissatisfaction caused by the shutdown, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze made bus transportation free during the strike. The Transport Company suffered financial losses, though the exact amount was never disclosed.

After two and a half days, on June 6, the metro resumed operations. That night, Mayor Kaladze met with the striking workers and promised a salary increase, though no details were released about the percentage or timing of the raise.