Deadly Georgian mine accident spotlights fitful progress following labor reforms, 2 February 2022

...The accident revived longtime discussions about the poor state of worker safety in Georgia, with critics arguing that authorities’ lax inspections may have contributed to the tragic outcome...

The Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC), the country’s biggest labor network, said following the accident that according to information they gathered the miners had not violated any safety regulations. The key question was whether mine operators were aware of the high methane concentration and, if so, why the work was allowed to continue. “Upholding labor safety norms in the workplace is the number one challenge,” the confederation said in a statement.

Residents in Tkibuli, where coal has been mined for centuries, have repeatedly called on the government to help develop non-mining jobs so that they are not forced into the dangerous line of work...

In recent years, the inspectorate neglected to carry out inspections of the mine other than responding to accidents, said Tatuli Chubabria, a program director at the Tbilisi-based watchdog Social Justice Center...

The Labor Inspection Service was abolished in 2006, under the previous government led by the United National Movement...The agency’s powers gradually increased, though, and major labor reforms in 2020 resulted in new authority to enforce a wide array of labor rights and safety regulations...