To: Government of Georgia

     Parliament of Georgia

     Civil Society of Georgia

Georgian Trade Unions’ confederation

A p p e a l

One more spring came to Georgia. The diligent Georgian people have gone through the one more harsh  winter with immense humane and financial losses. Against the background of raging inflation and ongoing and never ending increasing of prices for consumer goods- public servants, teachers, power specialists, railway workers, miners, metallurgists, chemists, doctors, builders, workers engaged in the fields of communication, transportation, service, sport and culture-at the cost of personal sacrifice have done their utmost and guaranteed smooth functioning of the Georgian State, produced essential products and provided adequate services. Again, thanks to patience of the working man and women, their boundless love and devotion toward their homeland and their families, social peace has been maintained in our country. Against the background of the degrading labor legislation and disrespectful treatment of the working people, the Georgian Government and many unscrupulous businessman have tested the nerves and patience of the citizens of Georgia.

However, the level and depth of the competence of the Government of Georgia and its attitude and sense of solidarity  toward its own fellow citizens, devoted  and diligent working man and women, have been tested. Unfortunately, like in the previous years, the Authorities have failed to pass the test. It should be noted, that this process is still going on against the background of constructive  and well-intended critiques coming from the Georgian Trade Unions’ Confederation (GTUC), accompanied by frank advises and recommendations from  our countries closest friends: The United States of America, the European Union (as an Organization and its member States) as well as the International Labor Organization,  the Council of Europe and others. All the aforementioned notwithstanding, the Georgian Government deems it more appropriate and important to stubbornly continue the implementation of pseudo liberal policy instead of changing the discriminatory labor legislation and stopping persecution of Labor activists protecting their legitimate rights.

It is a rather unfortunate fact that as a result of pursuing unreasonable policy and reforms in real   life, what we have today is the following: economic crises, catastrophic inflation rate, ever increasing and unprecedented State debt and taxes, budget deficit large-scale impoverishment of the population. However, all the aforementioned turned out not to be concerning enough to be considered by the Government as a warning and alarming signal. “Thanks” to the unreasonable social-economic policy pursued by the Georgian government, Georgian population further impoverished approximately by 15%, hundreds of workers perished and maimed on the working places due to irresponsibility of employers who failed to provide elementary safety and security on working places, thousands of workers have been illegally fired and doomed to impoverishment or leaving the country.

All initiatives coming from the Trade Unions aiming at respecting and protecting workers’ rights, improvement social policy and providing better healthcare for the population, improving the position of Georgian business in international trade environment and creating additional jobs, have been regularly ignored by the Authorities. Meanwhile, even partial materialization of these initiatives would have substantially strengthened stability in the country, alleviate the abject poverty, our people would have felt themselves as free and dignified citizens, which is the most important principle of true liberalism.   However, unfortunately, thanks to the Georgian mass media, divided by the Authorities and opposition political forces, purely neo-Bolshevik activities are presented are presented as masterpieces of honorable liberal policies.

There is no ending to the facts of gross violation on the part of state bureaucrats and majority of employers of fundamental principles of liberal democracy, namely, freedom of association. The Georgian Trade Unions’ Confederation, together with the international community and diplomatic missions, have been long waiting to receive answers to the following question:

1.      When will be the current Labor Code changed and ungrounded and unfair firing of workers stopped?

2.      When will the government come to appreciate the necessity of unconditional indexation of people impoverished as a result of high inflation?

3.      When will 8-hour working day become necessary employment condition ?

4.      When the workers employed in Georgia will be allowed to participate in negotiations to define fair  amount of salary through collective bargaining?

5.      How long the workers will have to endure degrading 2-week, 1-month, 3 month, 1-year and similar blackmailing labor contacts, both in private and public sector?  

6.      How long will the Government continue justifying the necessity of short-term contract by  applying the lame argument of easing doing the business in Georgia?

7.      When will Mr. Dimitry Shashkin, Minister of Education and Science, stop illegally intervening into the activities of Free Trade Union of Teachers and persecuting the for the sole reason that teachers are applying their rights guaranteed by the Constitution?

8.      How long will the management of the Georgian Railways continue hampering the work of Railway trade Union, the policy of blackmailing and intimidation of Union activists engaged in this field?

9.      When will the work of people engaged in public sector become genuinely free and respected and the fate and well-being of public servants and their family members not dependent on the whim of new bureaucrats who came to the agency with their “own team”?

10.  How long the government continue the policy of wasting money spent on re-training of employees and experience and skills accumulated by the in the course of years?

11.  When the government will change its repressive attitude towards doctors, nurses and sanitary personnel and will give them chance to freely work, deepen their knowledge and improve their professional skills?

12.  When will the government treat the issue of development of agriculture seriously and when it will stop persecuting trade union members active in this field?

13.  When will the work of journalist be adequately appreciated, when the time comes that they will not any longer be fired for telling the truth, for protecting their legitimate interests and for their attempts to create trade unions?

14.  When the government will stop hampering the process of collecting trade union membership fees and intervening in the process of using the collected fees?

15.  When will be extra hour work fairly paid for, as it is provided for in the European Social Charter ratified by Georgia?

16.  When will be the hazardous and risky for health job adequately appreciated and paid for?

17.  When will be the families of those workers who were killed and maimed on the working places given adequate and fair compensation without lengthy and degrading court hearings.

18.  When will be the process of investigation of job-related trauma cases and job related illnesses start and representatives of trade unions allowed to participate in them without any hindrance?

19.  When will the government make a decision to provide women on maternity leave with adequate and fair compensation?

20.   When will the process of wasting state property on low-quality insurance service be stopped? 

21.  When will be  the people under poverty line provided for with adequate and socially valuable monetary allowance?

22.  When will be the pensioners provided with the promised pension equal to 100 US dollar

and they will be allowed to use social infrastructure on privileged terms?

23.   When will be the unemployed people supported by the Georgian State through effective vocational training and monetary allowances?

24.  When the Georgian labor market will turn into functioning institution?

25.  When the Georgian economy will be based on market economy principles and not dependent on monopolies?

Our country’s journey to well-being of the society, true democracy and strengthening of its independence are contingent on the development of civil society. It is common knowledge, that middle class  is the unity of  free people who have dignified jobs. In all developed, free and liberal societies, trade unions are defenders of middle class interests and its support.

Exactly 110 years ago, on May 1, here, in the surroundings of Tbilisi Salty Lakes, the same demands were voiced. Among the demands put forward by the workers of Tbilisi Railway, the Adelkhanov Leather factory and workers from different  factories and plants, the issues of setting up trade unions and  8 -hour working day were the hottest issues. We do hope that unlike the Government, which was under the dominance of Russia’s Tsar Imperialism and therefore serving Russian interests, the current government will be more attentive and responsive to our demands. If the current government elaborates more adequate approach in terms of understanding the root causes of the current tensions, it will be able to avoid cataclysm that occurred back in 1917.

It is essential, that instead of belittling the importance of tripartite commission, the government should help promote the process of developing and turning the Commission into a viable institution. The Georgian Trade Unions is firm in its belief that without frank and constructive dialogue between the partners, it would be impossible step-by-step solution of the abovementioned problems.

Adopted at the 1 May, 2011 Trade Union Manifestation, Tbilisi,  territory of Salt Lakes