On February 5, six independent unions announced a joint decision to initiate seven collective workers against the government in order to reintroduce the dismissed employees. This marks the first time that collective measures are used against the state and can pave the way for a legally justified strike. The right to a strike was recently presented in the legislation of Georgia and must be implemented notoriously.
The unions include the Georgian Union of the Union, Education and Culture, the Guild Union, the Social Workers' Association, the Professional Union of the Georgian Musicians, the Professional Union of the Kinematographers and the Independent Professional Union of Beamte, Article 78 of the Constitution. They call for an improvement in working conditions and an end to politically motivated cleansing.
In a statement, the unions criticized the previously introduced law on foreign agents of the GD government and claimed that it had led to widespread politically motivated layoffs. The explanation shows the strong wave of authoritarianism in the country and adds that “the government has continued to restrict trade union activities through a draconian law over the public service. In addition, the system deliberately hinders the requests of the civil servants for the registration of independent professional unions, ”the explanation says.
Legal measures and disputes
One of the most urgent cases concerns the social workers' association, which questions the dismissal of four social workers from the national probation officer.
“In December, four social workers were rejected from the national probation authority. The reason for this was that their contracts had expired, but this is directly associated with ongoing political developments, ”said Sopho Mushkudiani, a representative of the social workers' association of Euronews.
“We link our discharge with our open positions on current political events and the discharge of other employees“ One of the agency department heads Nino Tkeshelashvili wrote on social media and described the recent layoffs of the public sector as “cleaning for political reasons”.
There have been dozens since the end of December dismissed Also from other state authorities and institutions, including the National Agency for Public Register, the public service hall, the parliament, the government administration, the town hall of Tbiliser etc.
Other unions have associated their symptoms in a similar way to working conditions. Otar BerdzenishviliThe chairman of the professional union of the Georgian musicians found the poor working conditions in the cultural sector. “Today we submitted a complaint to the Ministry of Labor with regard to the collective dispute of conservators. The case includes problems such as inhuman low wages and lack of equipment, ”said Berdzenishvili, expressing his willingness to fight everyone against injustice, said Berdzenishvili.
Leastings of the public sector and the struggle for reinstatement
The unions have associated the recent layoffs of the public sector with the employees in order to be involved in pro-European rallies. Among them was Giga sopomadzeExecutive Secretary of the Council for People with Disabilities in the Tiflis town hall, which was released on December 26th.
According to the sopromadze, more than 300 people have already been rejected from the state institutions that were “targeted” due to their activism in Pro -Eu Protests. “These are pro-European persons, and since the authorities do not agree to their attitude, replace them with alternative, compliant staff.”
Growing strike dynamics
Legal experts have underlined the importance of this unprecedented labor mobilization. Constitutionalist Vakhushushi menabde outlined the legal procedures of collective workers. He explained that the unions had appealed to the Ministry of Labor and conveyed with the employer, the employers are now obliged to conduct negotiations with the employees. On the 22nd day after the start of the dispute, the employees obtain the right to strike.
According to Menabde, this is one of the first attempts to exercise statutory striking law in Georgia. “Nothing of what has ever happened, workers have never had such a wave shape. Hopefully others will participate, ”he added.
In the meantime, industrial actions in the Metallurgical plant of Rustavi are already developing. According to the information published by Inforustavi on February 7, part of the employees who are gathered in front of the administrative building of the work [approx. 179 USD] Increasing salaries and the recently rejected employees.
“We had a conversation with the management about a month ago, and the employees applied for a salary increase. A week ago we received a written announcement that a strike would occur if this claim was not met, ”said an employee of the facility after InForustavi.
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