Evolution Georgia Workers Strike, Warn Investors

“We asked for basic things like having a doctor on-site and addressing sanitation issues. They rejected everything, leaving us no choice but to strike. Evolution has built its business on the shoulders of its workers in Georgia and they're expanding in the United States and elsewhere. If this is how they're treating us it should be a sign to investors about their business practices going forward,” said Evolution Gaming employee Makhare Patashuri, a worker on strike.

On July 12, over half of Evolution Gaming's 8,000 employees in Tbilisi, the Republic of Georgia's capital, went on strike to protest low wages, unsanitary working conditions and other unfair labor practices. Workers presented 44 concerns to the company, noting safety and health issues, including ventilation and temperature control issues and unsanitary work environments. Evolution adheres to OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, under which investors have a responsibility to use their influence with companies to prevent or mitigate adverse human rights impacts.

On August 1, striking workers staged a sit-in at the company headquarters and were met with violence and intimidation, and more than 1,000 workers were laid off in retaliation. The company has been accused of sharing hundreds of strikers' personal information and risking their safety, and on the night of September 15, one of the strike organizers was attacked near his home.

“The strikers have been locked out and kicked out,” said Giorgi Diasamidze, Leader of the Trade Union LABOR. “Insulting remarks and workplace conflicts are becoming more frequent, and that's what brought even more people out in protest. Evolution's shareholders need to take a hard look at their investment and hold the company accountable for honoring the fundamental rights of the workers whose labor is crucial to the success and healthy reputation of the company.”

Evolution cannot afford to discount the importance of maintaining a stable, fairly compensated, duly respected gaming workforce at its main hub. Stakeholders in Evolution have a common interest with LABOR members in preserving the viability of Evolution's long-term market position.