Irakli Petriashvili: 132,000 people in Georgia are paid less than the subsistence minimum - 32% of total employees are employed in the informal sector
According to Irakli Petriashvili, the chairman of "Georgian Trade Unions Confederation", there are many problems in terms of labor relations in Georgia, but 4 main problems are: informal employment, absence of minimum wage among employees, absence of collective social dialogue and effectiveness of the court.
As Petriashvili mentioned in an interview with "InterpressNews", if these problems are regulated, others will be eliminated as well.
"Conditionally, we can list 10,000 problems where and how the rights of employees are violated, but in the end, these are related to the top 4 problems that we have in the country. If these 4 problems are fixed, those 10,000 problems will be solved.
The first problem is informal employment. Today, 32% of total employees are employed in the informal sector. Employment in the informal sector means that these people cannot benefit from the achievements made by the "Trade Unions Confederation", the Georgian society in relation to changes in labor legislation and labor safety norms.
The second problem is the absence of a minimum wage for employees. If there is no minimum limit, employment cannot be full. 132 thousand people in Georgia are paid less than the living wage calculated by the country. There is no limit to the greed of employers. Our compatriots working in grocery stores are faced with a similar problem, and their wages are very low and, in fact, equal to the minimum wage. In light of this, employers cry that they do not have staff because they will go abroad.
The third problem is the absence of collective social dialogue in the country. Instead of ultimatums and strikes, there should be a culture of social dialogue in the 21st century, which should be encouraged by the Georgian government at all levels. There are many companies in Georgia where people have not received a single penny of salary increase. This increases social inequality and creates many other problematic issues.
The fourth problem is the efficiency of the court. Employed people often have to pay colossal sums of money over the years to hire a lawyer, file lawsuits, pay court fees, and then wait years for a court decision. As it is known, last year "Trade Unions Confederation" applied to the Parliament of Georgia with the initiative of establishing a decent minimum wage," said Petriashvili.
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Irakli Petriashvili: 132,000 people in Georgia are paid less than the subsistence minimum - 32% of total employees are employed in the informal sector
According to Irakli Petriashvili, the chairman of "Georgian Trade Unions Confederation", there are many problems in terms of labor relations in Georgia, but 4 main problems are: informal employment, absence of minimum wage among employees, absence of collective social dialogue and effectiveness of the court.
As Petriashvili mentioned in an interview with "InterpressNews", if these problems are regulated, others will be eliminated as well.
"Conditionally, we can list 10,000 problems where and how the rights of employees are violated, but in the end, these are related to the top 4 problems that we have in the country. If these 4 problems are fixed, those 10,000 problems will be solved.
The first problem is informal employment. Today, 32% of total employees are employed in the informal sector. Employment in the informal sector means that these people cannot benefit from the achievements made by the "Trade Unions Confederation", the Georgian society in relation to changes in labor legislation and labor safety norms.
The second problem is the absence of a minimum wage for employees. If there is no minimum limit, employment cannot be full. 132 thousand people in Georgia are paid less than the living wage calculated by the country. There is no limit to the greed of employers. Our compatriots working in grocery stores are faced with a similar problem, and their wages are very low and, in fact, equal to the minimum wage. In light of this, employers cry that they do not have staff because they will go abroad.
The third problem is the absence of collective social dialogue in the country. Instead of ultimatums and strikes, there should be a culture of social dialogue in the 21st century, which should be encouraged by the Georgian government at all levels. There are many companies in Georgia where people have not received a single penny of salary increase. This increases social inequality and creates many other problematic issues.
The fourth problem is the efficiency of the court. Employed people often have to pay colossal sums of money over the years to hire a lawyer, file lawsuits, pay court fees, and then wait years for a court decision. As it is known, last year "Trade Unions Confederation" applied to the Parliament of Georgia with the initiative of establishing a decent minimum wage," said Petriashvili.
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