We address you as individuals who have experienced oppression, labor rights violations, job dismissals, discrimination, work without pay and degrading wages in our places of employment.
We believe that if the two undemocratic “foreign agent” bills under consideration in parliament become law, workers will lose essential support for defending our labor rights.
Financial assistance from friendly countries – and free legal assistance provided by civil society organizations funded by this money – has been critical in enabling us to fight labor rights violations in court and bring them to the attention of the Labor Inspectorate.
Legal services are expensive and not particularly accessible for people who have been dismissed from work. Moreover, it is never easy for an individual employee to challenge labor rights violations perpetrated by the government or a large, influential private organization. Well-funded, courageous legal aid organizations play an essential role in helping employees stand up to the state, political power and the massive financial resources of the private sector. If not for the support of foreign donors, we would be alone to face these powerful forces. Our struggle to restore our labor rights violated by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Health, other public agencies and private corporations is not over and continues to this day in various institutions. Its success depends on the help of foreign funds.
Equally important to our fight has been the existence of civil society organizations which work to protect the rights to freedom of association and to establish trade unions. Unions allow employees to fight unfair labor practices, promote democratization of the workplace, and raise workers’ voices in an environment thoroughly dominated by the power of big capital and the state. But they need support to be effective. Unions rely on civil society organizations for various forms of support, from seeking legal advice before calling a strike to receiving technical guidance on staging protests.
Finally, we note that the proposed bills would decimate small, independent media outlets which workers rely on to raise awareness of labor rights violations. The mainstream Georgian media usually ignores the struggles of victims of labor rights violations. Without the support of alternative media, our problems would become even more invisible and limit our ability to build public support during strikes, protests and other labor disputes.
We reiterate our protest and concern regarding the two draft bills. They will deprive us of essential mechanisms to protect our labor rights and ultimately be harmful for workers. They will also gravely damage Georgia’s prospects for further integration with the European Union, which we see as a powerful mechanism for worker welfare and social security in the long term.
Signatories:
- Science Education and Culture Trade Union
- “Guild” – an independent trade union in the field of culture and media
- Union of Social Workers
- Alternative professional union of Adjara television and radio of public water bodies;
- Robert Margishvili – metro employee, member of the board of the independent union of metro drivers “Ertoba 2013”
- The majority of the board members of the independent union of Tbilisi metro drivers “Ertoba 2013”
- Zakaria Metreveli – “Couriers Platform”
- Mariam Alikhanashvili – “Wake up activism”
- Eka Kiknadze – former employee of the National Museum of Georgia
- Dinara Vachnadze – former employee of the National Museum of Georgia
- Lika Mamatsashvili – former employee of the National Museum of Georgia
- Davit Nioradze – former employee of the National Museum of Georgia
- Nana Burchuladze – former employee of the National Museum of Georgia
- Ana Mgeladze – former employee of the National Museum of Georgia
- Ana Verulashvili – former employee of the National Museum of Georgia
- Nino Akhalaia – former employee of the Ministry of Culture
- Eka Kacharava – former employee of the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Protection
- Khatuna Kharatishvili – former employee of the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Georgia
- Tamar Niniashvili – former employee of the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Georgia
- Besik Matsaberidze – former employee of the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Georgia
- Marina Taktakishvili – former employee of the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Georgia
- Davit Lomitashvili – former employee of the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Georgia
- Lali Akhalaia – former employee of the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Georgia
- Manana Nikabadze – former employee of the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Georgia
- Eka Tabukashvili – former employee of the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Georgia
- Gaga Chkheidze – former employee of the National Center of Cinematography of Georgia
- Beso Solomanashvili – former member of the competition commission of the National Center of Cinematography of Georgia
- Elene Gakharia – former employee of the Rustavi Art, Sports and Youth Center
- Natali Jakhutashvili – former employee of Adjara Public Broadcaster
- Artur Elbakidze – former employee of “Formula” television company
- Jemal Nakaidze – former employee of “Formula” TV company
- Akaki Zoidze – former employee of “Byblus” company
- Nugzar Furtseladze – former employee of “Byblus” company
- Nino Varshanidze – former employee of “Biblus” company
- Rusudan Roinishvili – former employee of “Black Sea Group” company
- Tornike Abashidze – former employee of “Black C Group” company
- Giorgi Lazariashvili – former employee of “Evolution Georgia”
- Khatuna Begiashvili – Association of Kindergartens of Rustavi
- Nodar Avdaliani – Union of Kindergartens of Tbilisi
- Nelli Kareli-Kakhidze – Tkibuli Municipality Mayor’s Office
- Khatia Berodze – former employee of Tkibuli Municipality City Hall
- Elsa Gvenetadze – former employee of Tkibuli Municipality City Hall
- Tengiz Tevzadze – former employee of Tkibuli Municipality City Hall
- Giorgi Chkhaidze – former employee of the Batumi Professional State Theater of Puppets and Young Spectators
- Lia Tavadze – former employee of Batumi auto transport
- Mindia Baramia – former employee of Poti Municipality Services Center
- Gvantsa Chkhartishvili – former employee of the pre-school educational center of Lanchkhuti municipality
- Naira Cimintia – former employee of the Historical Museum of Chkhorotsku Municipality
