The whole metro system is paralyzed in Tbilisi, Georgia, after the drivers and other staff went on strike - and some on hunger strike - on the evening of June 3, as announced a week ago, Georgia Today reports.
The employees demand a 45% of salary increase and improved working conditions; however, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced that the City Hall cannot afford to do so.
''The strike of the metro workers is illegal and targeted against the interests of the population…A salary rise is only possible if we increase the metro tariffs, abolish social benefits and suspend some infrastructural projects,'' the mayor stressed, adding the City Hall will find a way to resume metro services quickly, ''Panorama.am'' reports.