Georgia Manganese Crisis Affects 6000 Workers in Chiatura

Georgia's largest mining and ferroalloy manufacturing company, Georgian Manganese, has suspended operations at its Chiatura mines and Zestaponi ferroalloy plant, leaving approximately 6,000 workers in uncertainty and sparking ongoing protests across the western Georgian region.

The company cited sharp drops in global silicomanganese prices, reduced demand over two years, and ore supply disruptions due to community protests as primary factors behind the November 2024 shutdown. Operations were scheduled to resume in March 2025, but workers report continued delays and unpaid wages.

Miners and community members have mobilized demanding nationalization of mining operations, reinvestment of profits into public services, and stricter controls over open-pit mining. Residents of Shukruti village, where homes have collapsed due to mining activities, have staged protests since 2024 demanding compensation for damages.

Georgian Manganese holds an exclusive 40-year license to exploit the region's manganese reserves, granted in 2007. The Chiatura deposit's resources are estimated at 215 million tonnes of manganese ore, with about half already depleted after a century of extraction.

The crisis highlights tensions between industrial development and community welfare. In 2024, gold contributed 3.5 percent of Georgia's total exports, ferroalloys 10.7 percent, and copper ores 3.1 percent, underscoring mining's continued economic importance despite current challenges.