Georgian Logo

USAID RULE OF LAW PROGRAM
USAID სამართლის უზენაესობის პროგრამა

Header Sponsore Logo
11 Apr 2023

Defending the Rights of the Bakers

"Despite our request, the employer ignored our social status and fired us without even considering how we and our families would cope with life's difficulties. For some of the workers, the only source of income was the salary earned from this job," says *Giorgi, former baker at "Mzekari 13."

*Giorgi is one of forty people who were illegally fired by "Mzekari 13," twenty of whom were ready to continue fighting in court if necessary. The company, which produces and sells baked sweets, did not sign a contract with its employees, and the agreement regarding remuneration was oral, averaging 600 GEL per month. The company owed more than 14,000 GEL to its latter employees.

In this difficult situation, people were left with no means to cover bank obligations and turned to the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) for help. With the support of the USAID Rule of Law Program, GTUC immediately got involved in the process.

GTUC sent a warning notice signed by all 20 employees to the employer stating that if the payment of the debt was refused, they would continue the fight in court. In such a case, the affected employees demanded that the employer provide severance pay by law, in addition to the wage debt. The employer showed wisdom and compensated each employee for their unpaid salaries within 2-3 days after the application was submitted.

GTUC believes that settling disputes through conciliation is always welcome. However, there are cases when the employer completely avoids responsibility. In such cases, the battle continues in court, and often the employer has to pay more than they would have had to settle.

GTUC declares that this behavior is common when employees start working based on a verbal agreement without any contract. Therefore, it is important for individuals to request a written contract from the beginning, specifying their rights and obligations, remuneration, and other important conditions. In the absence of an agreement, not only labor rights violations, but also the very fact that people had worked at all may need to be disputed.

***To protect the confidentiality of the respondent, we have changed the beneficiary name.

img

Latest Success Stories

See All
img
22 Sep 2023

ISFED Restores the Rights of Unlawfully Dismissed Employee

On July 24, the Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the cassation appeal of Tamar Kometiani, who had been wrongfully terminated from her position at the Zugdidi Municipality Youth Palace, and mandated the Youth Palace to provide 17,320 GEL in compensation. The case was litigated by the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) with USAID Rule of Law Program support.  

See More
img
20 Sep 2023

State Compensation Granted to Child of Femicide Victim with Support from Rights Georgia

A two-year-old boy, the child of a femicide victim, was awarded state compensation totaling 10,000 GEL, thanks to the advocacy efforts of the local non-governmental organisation Rights Georgia. The organization represented the minor's interests before the State Care Agency, with support from the USAID Rule of Law Program.

See More
img
03 Jul 2023

PDO Interns Support Constitutional Lawsuits to Advance Human Rights

Luka Gogua and Luka Nishnianidze, both third-year law students at Tbilisi Free University, have played a vital role in supporting constitutional lawsuits during their six-month internships at the Strategic Litigation Division of the Public Defender's Office (PDO), with the support of the USAID Rule of Law Program.

See More

Sexual Harassment Prevention & Elimination Mechanism

LEGAL AID PROVIDERS