The News in Brief
Wednesday, March 26
Strike in Kazreti called off after agreement with RMG Gold
A protest in the Georgian village of Kazreti, where people protested the treatment of workers in the gold mines, ended on Monday. RMG Gold, the company that owns the mines in Kazreti, reached agreement with the demonstrators, who protested against hazardous and rough working conditions.
The company fulfilled three out of six of the workers’ requests: Workers will have a new insurance package, their conditions in the factories will be improved and standards of safety will rise too.
The workers demanded that the management be replaced, but representative of the trade union, Tamaz Dolaberidze, said the management is still working on this issue.
After negotiations, RMG Gold and RMG Copper gave 80 workers their jobs back. They were fired on January 30.
On January 30, RMG Metals Group terminated its contract with 184 workers. In protest, 500 employees went on strike. About a month later, up to 3,000 employees left their jobs and joined the protesters in the streets.
Tamaz Dolaberidze said the company is ready raise salaries by 15 percent for the 50 workers who have the lowest income, and other salaries will be allocated fairly.
Residents of Kazreti think that the only guarantee that the company will fulfill its promises is the government, as it mediated in the conflict and participated in the agreement process too. (Democracy & Freedom Watch)
Pro-Russian and pro-Western activists clash in Tbilisi
A film rejecting Georgia’s European integration favoring a connection closer to Russia was the cause behind a mid-city clash between pro-Russian and pro-Western supporters in Tbilisi today.
Several people were apprehended by police during the clash.
The incident stemmed from a screening of a pro-Russia movie by the NGO Eurasian Institute.
The film was dedicated to the 15th anniversary of NATO bombings in Yugoslavia. Pro-NATO and anti-NATO activists rallied outside a local cinema.
Pro-NATO supporters accused Eurasian Institute representatives of "treachery” and lobbying Russian interests in Georgia.
Police unsuccessfully tried to secure the order by placing metal barriers in the streets and several fights occurred between the protest groups.
Eurasian Institute supports a tighter connection between Tbilisi and Moscow and rejects Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
After police got involved in the incident, clashes between the opposition groups stopped. Pro-Russian activists then marched along Rustaveli Ave. towards the NATO information centre in Tbilisi.
The protesters held posters condemning NATO’s actions in Yugoslavia and warned the Georgian Government not to cooperate with the alliance. (Agenda.Ge)
Georgian Ombudsmen calls to ban young girls’ marriage after suicide of teenager
Georgia’s Public Defender is calling for a law to ban young teenage girls from falling victim to early marriage and offer more protection and assistance to those in need.
Nanuashvili emphasized that an early marriage among young teenage girls was still an existing practice in Georgia and was expressed in the form of kidnapping with the aim of marriage following an agreement between parents.
"A number of recommendations concerning preventing early marriages were included in the Public Defender’s Parliamentary report in 2012. However, no appropriate steps have been taken to tackle this problem,” the Ombudsman stated.
The issue was recently highlighted when a teenage girl committed suicide in the Kakheti rgion on March 20. The girl, who lived in Karajala village in the Telavi district, was believed to have ended her life to avoid committing to an unwanted early marriage.
"The situation in this regard it is alarming and the whole society should realize the grievousness of this issue and feel the responsibilities related to the early marriages of dozens of young girls and violence against them,” Nanuashvili said.
To combat this societal problem, Nanuashvili believed it was important to reinforce activities aimed at increasing awareness of teachers, parents and law enforcement bodies about the damage early marriage can cause to young girls, the cause of such behavior and update legal regulations in the country. (Agenda.Ge)
Tbilisi to host regional rock festival
An International Rock Festival is being held in Tbilisi on March 25-27, with the participation of rock bands from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia under the slogan "No violence."
The musicians will compete during the two days for the right to represent the South Caucasus on the biggest rock music festival Wacken Open Air (which will be held from July 31 to August 3 in Germany).
On the third and final day, the grandees of world rock, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize group, Orphaned Land will perform its first-ever concert in Tbilisi.
For more information visit www.jam.ge (Trend)
GEL 83 million spent at broadcasting market in 2013
GEL 83 million (47 million USD) has been spent at Georgian broadcasting market in 2013. From this amount GEL 74 million has been distributed as revenues to TV companies and GEL 9 million - among radio broadcasters. Last year’s data on revenues of broadcasters was released by the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC).
Last year the highest revenues among the TV companies were received by Rustavi 2 Broadcasting Company. Its revenues totaled GEL 36,910,000, which is approximately half of amounts spent at TV-market.
Imedi TV has almost twice less revenues compared to Rustavi 2 – GEL 19,126,000. Maestro TV is on the third place with GEL 5,756,000. Next come Global Media Group (GMG) with GEL 4,110,000, Tabula TV with GEL 1,497,000 and GDS TV with GEL 1,117,000.
According to the GNCC data, before stopping broadcasting TV 9 had received GEL 452,000. Revenues of Kavkasia TV were GEL 402,000 and Music Box – GEL 331,000.
TV-Channel 25, broadcasting in Adjara region, is on the seventh place among TV-broadcasters working in Georgia. Among regional broadcasters it is the leader. Its revenues in 2013 were GEL 929,000. In regions after Channel 25 come TV-Company Rioni – GEL 333,000, TV-Company Odishi – GEL 320,000 and Trialeti TV – GEL 234,000.
In 2013 the lowest revenues were received by S-TV – GEL 80. (Media.Ge)
A protest in the Georgian village of Kazreti, where people protested the treatment of workers in the gold mines, ended on Monday. RMG Gold, the company that owns the mines in Kazreti, reached agreement with the demonstrators, who protested against hazardous and rough working conditions.
The company fulfilled three out of six of the workers’ requests: Workers will have a new insurance package, their conditions in the factories will be improved and standards of safety will rise too.
The workers demanded that the management be replaced, but representative of the trade union, Tamaz Dolaberidze, said the management is still working on this issue.
After negotiations, RMG Gold and RMG Copper gave 80 workers their jobs back. They were fired on January 30.
On January 30, RMG Metals Group terminated its contract with 184 workers. In protest, 500 employees went on strike. About a month later, up to 3,000 employees left their jobs and joined the protesters in the streets.
Tamaz Dolaberidze said the company is ready raise salaries by 15 percent for the 50 workers who have the lowest income, and other salaries will be allocated fairly.
Residents of Kazreti think that the only guarantee that the company will fulfill its promises is the government, as it mediated in the conflict and participated in the agreement process too. (Democracy & Freedom Watch)
Pro-Russian and pro-Western activists clash in Tbilisi
A film rejecting Georgia’s European integration favoring a connection closer to Russia was the cause behind a mid-city clash between pro-Russian and pro-Western supporters in Tbilisi today.
Several people were apprehended by police during the clash.
The incident stemmed from a screening of a pro-Russia movie by the NGO Eurasian Institute.
The film was dedicated to the 15th anniversary of NATO bombings in Yugoslavia. Pro-NATO and anti-NATO activists rallied outside a local cinema.
Pro-NATO supporters accused Eurasian Institute representatives of "treachery” and lobbying Russian interests in Georgia.
Police unsuccessfully tried to secure the order by placing metal barriers in the streets and several fights occurred between the protest groups.
Eurasian Institute supports a tighter connection between Tbilisi and Moscow and rejects Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
After police got involved in the incident, clashes between the opposition groups stopped. Pro-Russian activists then marched along Rustaveli Ave. towards the NATO information centre in Tbilisi.
The protesters held posters condemning NATO’s actions in Yugoslavia and warned the Georgian Government not to cooperate with the alliance. (Agenda.Ge)
Georgian Ombudsmen calls to ban young girls’ marriage after suicide of teenager
Georgia’s Public Defender is calling for a law to ban young teenage girls from falling victim to early marriage and offer more protection and assistance to those in need.
Nanuashvili emphasized that an early marriage among young teenage girls was still an existing practice in Georgia and was expressed in the form of kidnapping with the aim of marriage following an agreement between parents.
"A number of recommendations concerning preventing early marriages were included in the Public Defender’s Parliamentary report in 2012. However, no appropriate steps have been taken to tackle this problem,” the Ombudsman stated.
The issue was recently highlighted when a teenage girl committed suicide in the Kakheti rgion on March 20. The girl, who lived in Karajala village in the Telavi district, was believed to have ended her life to avoid committing to an unwanted early marriage.
"The situation in this regard it is alarming and the whole society should realize the grievousness of this issue and feel the responsibilities related to the early marriages of dozens of young girls and violence against them,” Nanuashvili said.
To combat this societal problem, Nanuashvili believed it was important to reinforce activities aimed at increasing awareness of teachers, parents and law enforcement bodies about the damage early marriage can cause to young girls, the cause of such behavior and update legal regulations in the country. (Agenda.Ge)
Tbilisi to host regional rock festival
An International Rock Festival is being held in Tbilisi on March 25-27, with the participation of rock bands from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia under the slogan "No violence."
The musicians will compete during the two days for the right to represent the South Caucasus on the biggest rock music festival Wacken Open Air (which will be held from July 31 to August 3 in Germany).
On the third and final day, the grandees of world rock, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize group, Orphaned Land will perform its first-ever concert in Tbilisi.
For more information visit www.jam.ge (Trend)
GEL 83 million spent at broadcasting market in 2013
GEL 83 million (47 million USD) has been spent at Georgian broadcasting market in 2013. From this amount GEL 74 million has been distributed as revenues to TV companies and GEL 9 million - among radio broadcasters. Last year’s data on revenues of broadcasters was released by the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC).
Last year the highest revenues among the TV companies were received by Rustavi 2 Broadcasting Company. Its revenues totaled GEL 36,910,000, which is approximately half of amounts spent at TV-market.
Imedi TV has almost twice less revenues compared to Rustavi 2 – GEL 19,126,000. Maestro TV is on the third place with GEL 5,756,000. Next come Global Media Group (GMG) with GEL 4,110,000, Tabula TV with GEL 1,497,000 and GDS TV with GEL 1,117,000.
According to the GNCC data, before stopping broadcasting TV 9 had received GEL 452,000. Revenues of Kavkasia TV were GEL 402,000 and Music Box – GEL 331,000.
TV-Channel 25, broadcasting in Adjara region, is on the seventh place among TV-broadcasters working in Georgia. Among regional broadcasters it is the leader. Its revenues in 2013 were GEL 929,000. In regions after Channel 25 come TV-Company Rioni – GEL 333,000, TV-Company Odishi – GEL 320,000 and Trialeti TV – GEL 234,000.
In 2013 the lowest revenues were received by S-TV – GEL 80. (Media.Ge)