Three Evolution Georgia Employees Go On Hunger Strike

On August 13, three Evolution Gaming employees in Georgia started a hunger strike as a way of protesting against the company’s refusal to carry out negotiations addressing their demands. 

The dramatic protest embraced by the three staff members represents an extension of the original strike that began on July 12, initiated by the UNI Global Union Georgian affiliate. 

The latter is responsible for organizing online dealers and game presenters via the EVO union.

The strike gathered hundreds of employees at the Tbilisi-based studio, following allegations of poor working conditions, insufficient pay, and harassment by management. 

Initially, it was estimated that a minimum of 5,000 employees would participate. 

Waiting for a Mediator 

Among the hunger strikers is game presenter Tamar Ansiani, who is also a union representative. 

In an interview for NEXT.io, Ansiani expressed feelings of frustration regarding the lack of communication from management, explaining the exact duration of the hunger strike depended on the response from both the company and government officials.

Ansiani, who was experiencing weakness and headaches, explained hunger strikers were “waiting for the government to take responsibility and appoint a mediator to resolve the dispute”.

She said she expected more colleagues to join her in the upcoming days provided no progress was recorded. 

The Union Blocked Entrances 

The company’s head of investor relations, Carl Linton, mentioned that while the strike was “limited” and did not affect their operational activities to a large extent, the union’s decision to “illegally block entrances to the workplace” on August 1 escalated things.  

Linton explained Georgia outlaws the blocking of entrances which stopped thousands of their employees from getting in, “and thus altering the conditions for maintaining full operational capacity in our local studio.”

To add fuel to the fire, last week, the company announced its “regretful decision” to cut 1,000 jobs in the country, something that “was not taken lightly” but described as “a direct consequence of the union’s unlawful actions and its negative impact on Evolution’s operations in Georgia” in a Facebook statement. 

The same statement explained the damage caused by the union was reflected in Evolution’s “customers’ view of Georgia.”

40 Demands Pending Approval

Evolution employees, with support from the union, have compiled a comprehensive list of no less than 40 different demands pending approval.

The list features important pay rises on top, including a 100% salary boost for different positions like card shufflers, service managers, and game presenters. 

Unofficial estimates provided by the union say card shufflers’ average monthly net salary is GEL600 ($221), whereas dealers make GEL900 ($332).

As per the company’s total annual expenditure on salaries, the union mentioned GEL112 million ($41.7 million). 

This results in an average monthly salary across operations of around GEL1,200 ($442).

Labor explained the figure was inflated as it also included managers’ high salaries as well as the salaries of staff from global offices based in the country.

The union went further and mentioned Evolution’s claims that, prior to initiating their Georgian operations, they did research regarding the average wage for young and unskilled labor and decided to set the salaries just above the respective average.

Other union demands include a 5% salary increase for every six months of experience, salaries to be paid on time, and wage indexation reflective of the current inflation.

Strikers claim Evolution has not brought any important increases to their salaries over the past six years. 

They have also demanded work hour adjustments, break and leave policies, improved standards for occupational health and safety, a series of improvements brought to the facility, a software-embedded tipping feature, and for staff uniform, makeup, and shoe costs to be covered by Evolution. 

Controversial Talks 

The strike triggered a number of mixed reactions among the personnel. Some employees took to their social media to express their dissent while other voices suggested the staff’s demands would bring the salaries to a point close to that of junior lawyers in Georgia.

NEXT.io sources further revealed that Labor’s estimates may not correctly reflect the employees’ compensation package, since, for instance, dealers also receive compensation for when working after hours and staff members also benefit from gym access, cheaper meals in the canteen, parental leave, free language school training, and healthcare insurance. 

The entertainment company with 8,000 employees in Georgia issued a statement at the beginning of the month in which it reaffirmed its commitment to the domestic market, emphasizing its career opportunities while condemning the ongoing strikes and calling them unacceptable.