Strike action is facing Evolution in Georgia after the company has been accused of providing inadequate working conditions, labour rights and salaries at its live casino studio in Tbilisi.
According to Georgian media, “at least 5,000” employees at Evolution Georgia are reportedly preparing to go on strike on July 12, demanding improved working conditions at the Tbilisi live gaming location.
The tier one supplier has been accused of operating with “unsafe and unsanitary workplace conditions, harassment by managers, and meagre pay” for its Georgian employees.
Mautskebeli, a Georgian trade union news source, shed light on the accusations with published screenshots and communications of Evolution management involved in various issues, including “sexist, racist, and discriminatory remarks against employees.”
Furthermore, these screenshots were accompanied by footage detailing the poor working and sanitary conditions of janitors at the company.
In response to the proposed strike action, Evolution condemned the actions of its management at the Tbilisi studio by stating on Facebook: “the content that has been shared between a few of our employees is unacceptable.”
The igaming provider also announced it would “conduct an investigation to get to the bottom of the problem and take appropriate actions and increase our efforts to make sure that all employees adhere to, and respect, our common values.”
Evolution’s statement continued: “With almost 8,000 valued team members we of course do the utmost to safeguard an environment built on mutual respect and trust, however, there will always be a challenge to, on an individual and daily basis, monitor each action taken from all our employees even when they are not accepted.
“Whenever encountering unacceptable behaviour in Evolution, on any level, we act stringently, fair, in accordance with applicable laws in Georgia and always in the same way striving towards our common values.”
Giorgi Diasamidze, Chair of the LABOR union, is set to lead the strike action on Friday (July 12), announcing that up to 5,000 employees could join the strike. LABOR and Evolution Georgia employees have been negotiating for better rights for around two years, failing to meet an agreement.
Evolution Georgia has faced similar challenges before, facing criticism in March 2020 for laying off 1,300 employees due to economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the lay-offs, the Social Justice Centre filed a lawsuit on behalf of 14 terminated employees.