Inside Georgia’s textile industry: violence, 7 December 2021

When 46-year-old Eleonora took the job at a Eurotex-managed textile factory in Tbilisi, Georgia she was excited. She didn’t think that only a few years later, in this very factory, her life would flash before her eyes as a pair of hands tightened around her neck. 

Eleonora Ter-Poghosyan was promoted to quality control within a year of working for Eurotex. Working side-by-side with representatives from the companies that contracted the Eurotex to manufacture their clothing...It didn’t take her long to realise that, despite the eventual price tag of the clothing they were producing, quality always played second fiddle to quantity — meanwhile her job, often entailed little more than keeping her mouth firmly shut.

The key to this scheme was an equally high quantity of quality control staff, all of whom, for one reason or another would ‘get into trouble’ and be replaced before they would wise up to what kind of goods were coming out of the factory...

Eurotex Ltd, legally owned by the Egeria group, is a limited liability company registered in Cyprus and managed by Marina Blakunova, who, at least on paper, is Egeria’s chief representative at the factory. It took over production at the Geo-M-Tex textile factory in 2015 — the same year Eurotex itself was created. While overseeing the factory’s operation, Eurotex had inked manufacturing deals with a variety of luxury clothing brands including Equiline, Dainese, Uvex, and Moncler.

A 2019 undercover investigation by OC Media uncovered a litany of abuses at the Eurotex-managed factory, which included harsh and often unsafe working conditions, as well as unpaid wages and a constant barrage of verbal abuse...

...Robert (storage manager of the company)...reached out his hands, wrapped them around her (Eleonora's) throat, and began to squeeze. As her vision began to black out and she felt herself losing consciousness, he threw her hard against the wall.

The police opened a criminal investigation into the alleged attack...Robert Kveselava has since been charged with physical assault. The trial has not yet begun. 

During the pandemic, the Eurotex factory shut down...Neither Blakunova (the owner) nor her daughter has faced any criminal charges relating to Eurotex...According to Eleonora, after she had gone to the police, Blakunova repeatedly tried to contact her and get her to recant her testimony, but the former quality controller has remained steadfast...