A/HRC/44/43/Add.1 Georgian Manganese had continuously failed to comply with environmental legislation and licence conditions. The special manager conducts environmental monitoring and reports monthly to the Ministry. 51. Mitigating environmental harm caused by decades of unsustainable mining practices and abandoned mining was also a challenge in other parts of Georgia, as recognized in the 2017–2021 National Environmental Action Programme. The Working Group urged the Government and businesses to work together to urgently address the current extensive environmental pollution and to transition to sustainable mining practices. 52. Another major challenge in Chiatura and in other mines in Georgia was the need to improve worker health and safety and ensure decent working conditions. The incidence of accidents in Chiatura mines remains a cause for alarm. According to local trade unions, in 2018, a total of 60 accidents were documented, which resulted in the death of one employee and several serious injuries. In addition, testimonies reported that the ventilation system in the mines was insufficient and often not fully functioning. The representatives of Georgian Manganese did not deny that current working conditions in the old mines were hazardous, but said conditions have improved in the new mining sites. 53. Georgian Manganese representatives also informed the Working Group that the employees received salaries that were above the industry average and that they were granted benefits, including free transportation and meals, and free medical insurance for them and their families. However, in May 2019, a strike over poor working conditions at the Chiatura Manganese mine shutdown production for 13 days. The Working Group was also concerned to learn about the practice in the new mines of organizing miners into 15 days of 12-hour shifts, followed by 15 days of leave. During the working days, miners worked 12 hours in the mine and were then taken to a dormitory, which they were not allowed to leave without the permission of a supervisor. The Working Group stressed that such a practice was not consistent with international labour standards, and it also questioned whether this was consistent with national legal standards. 54. The Working Group learned about existing grievance mechanisms at company level, such as a hotline and the ability to submit written complaints. However, testimonies indicated a generalized lack of trust in these mechanisms among employees, questioning whether available grievance mechanisms met the effectiveness criteria under principle 31 of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. E. Labour rights 1. Minimum wage and working hours 55. In 2013, significant amendments were made to the Labour Code to align national legislation on labour rights with international standards. However, monitoring and implementation of the Code remains a challenge in the absence of an effective labour inspection mechanism with the mandate to cover all labour rights, including labour conditions and discrimination at the workplace. 56. In the private sector, the minimum monthly wage is 20 Georgian lari (approximately $7); in the public sector, it is 135 Georgian lari9 (approximately $50), although the Ministry of Labour noted that, in practice, the minimum wages were much higher. The Working Group raised the concern that the absence of an adequate minimum wage was being touted to attract foreign investment 10 and encouraged the Government to establish a periodic review of the minimum wage, to be indexed to the cost of living and sufficient to ensure a decent living for workers. 57. Regarding working hours, article 14 (1) of the Labour Code provides that the duration of working time must not exceed 40 hours a week, but indicates that in enterprises 9 10 Davit Darsavelidze, Impact of Possible Growth of Minimum Wage in Georgia (Tbilisi, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, January 2019), p. 5. https://investingeorgia.org/en/georgia/labor. 11