On February 11, 2014, twenty firefighters and rescuers in Tbilisi began a hunger strike demanding the resignation of Temur Giorgadze, head of the Tbilisi Emergency Management Service. The protesters accused Giorgadze of exerting pressure on employees and assigning them non-work-related tasks. The Unified Trade Union supported the firefighters, while Giorgadze, in turn, blamed the union for interfering in the agency’s operations.

According to the protesters, “bonuses that were officially granted to firefighters were later taken back.” One firefighter, Giorgi Diasamidze, claimed that Giorgadze forced subordinates to perform personal tasks for him, such as construction work at his dacha and his house in Temeqa. He also alleged that Giorgadze organized “special squads” and persecuted employees for political reasons.

By the seventh day of the hunger strike, one firefighter had to withdraw due to health complications and was taken home by ambulance. Following this incident, the remaining participants ended their hunger strike but continued their protest in other forms.

Temur Giorgadze denied all allegations and urged the firefighters to resolve their grievances through the courts.

On the 29th day of the protest, March 11, demonstrators moved their tents to the front of Tbilisi City Hall, accusing city officials of protecting Giorgadze.

That same day, Koba Bregvadze, deputy head of the City Hall Emergency and Crisis Management Agency, told journalists that a special working group had been created to address the firefighters’ concerns.

Temur Giorgadze eventually resigned in October 2014.