Evolution head issues defiant response to staff strike and union’s claims 

Evolution’s head of investor relations Carl Linton has insisted that the company is “proud” of the culture in place at the firm’s Georgian headquarters, despite the ongoing strike. 

Last Thursday, Labor, the union spearheading the strike action against the live casino giant claimed that at 76 days, the Evolution staff strike was now the longest in the nation’s history, a claim that has since been rebuffed by Linton, who told EGR that a strike at Georgian Manganese Holding lasted 170 days. 

The strike by Evolution employees began on 12 July at the supplier’s Tbilisi-based offices, where around 7,000 staff members are employed. Initially, 5,000 were expected to strike in response to alleged unsafe and unsanitary working conditions, as well as inadequate pay and harassment. 

Having previously claimed only 500 staff members took part in the industrial action, Evolution has since issued an update on the ongoing strike saga as Linton shed light on discussions between the firm and the unions involved. 

“Following a two-year long period of dialogue with union leadership that resulted in more than 30 hours of meetings and three weeks of government-led mediation that preceded the strike, we have been in close communication with stakeholders across the government and community to work to resolve the situation,” Linton revealed. 

“Our primary objective is to reach a resolution that ends the strike and allows the vast majority of our employees who want to work the ability to safely access their workplace.”  

Linton continued by addressing concerns around the pay of Evolution’s Georgia staff as he added: “We are proud of the workplace and culture we’ve built, offering salaries twice as high as those for equivalent jobs in Georgia that do not require education or previous experience, enabling tens of thousands of young adults to enter the labour market for the first time.” 

His comments come after representatives of the Labor union told NEXT.io that multiple staff members were injured after a solidarity demonstration outside Evolution’s Georgia facilities allegedly turned violent. 

Linton stopped short of directly addressing the rumours regarding injuries, but did add: “We are increasingly concerned by the union’s escalating practices, including the encouragement of young people to risk their health and that of others as well as physically and forcefully blocking entry to the facility. 

“Evolution firmly rejects any form of violence, aggression or illegal activities and will continue to work in accordance with the established process and applicable local laws to resolve the situation. We have and will continue to urge the union to do the same.” 

Last month, the company outlined plans to slash its Georgia-based workforce by 1,000 and blamed “unjust activities” by a local trade union as a reason behind its decision. Evolution previously threatened “larger-scale layoffs” in August after one union-backed staff walkout. 

This dispute is not limited to just Georgia, with trade unions such as Unionen and the Engineers of Sweden also issuing their support, after revealing that their own respective meetings with Evolution’s Swedish management resulted in “zero progress” being made. 

Unionen chairman Peter Hellberg explained: “They were also clear that they have no intention of having a dialogue with either the union in Georgia, UNI Global Union or the Swedish unions.”