Georgian Unionsare Fighting Back

#09 UNION #09 UNIONMay 2008 • 1 VIEW VIEW The ITUCreports. Georgian unionsare fighting back. Georgian workers, two thirds economy. of whomare stillintheinformal The nothing tocreate decentjobsand insteadhasledtorisingpoverty among mined fundamentalworkers rights. This “the market is king” policy hasdone labour codeadoptedbyThe highlyderegulatory Georgia in2006hasunder fundamental rights toshreds Georgia: labour code tears

ITUC International Trade Union Confederation May 2008

g ZviadNikolaishvili - #09 président ofGTUC Irakli Petriashvili, this labourcode made possibleby and dismissals of the harassment Georgia asaresult altogether across 20,000 members We’ve lostabout “

Petriashvili: "ThenewLabourCode May 2008 • 2 UNION Read the full interview withIrakli Read thefullinterview VIEW http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip. only helpstheoligarchs"at: php?article2126&lang=en g ZviadNikolaishvili “ standing itsground. rance ofseveral trade unions.Despitepressure fromtheILO, theEuropeanUnionandITUC, is thegovernment The highlyderegulatory, pro-businesslabourcodethathasbeeninforce fortwo years hasledtothedisappea- The havoc wreaked by aneo-liberal code I the employers. Georgia’s legalsystemisn’tindependent.” clashing withthe interests ofthegovernment, whichfavours code.verdict onthelabour fearof for thisway behave They dismissal ofatradeunionist, basetheir thejudgesalways “In practice, however, whenwegotocourtchallengethe explains Gocha Aleksandria, vice-presidentofthe GTUC. oftheunion,”cannot bedismissedwithouttheagreement anelectedtradeunionofficial that measures whichstipulate had littlesuccess. code conflictswithotherlegal “The labour code cameintoforce. Attempts toseeklegalredresshave losttheirjobssincethe tradeunion activistshave Many confederation. explains IrakliPetriashvili, presidentoftheGTUCtradeunion can bedismissedonthespot...asatradeunionist,” herboss sexualharassmentby worker whoprotestsagainst thedooropen toallkindsofabuse.leaves “Awoman one month’s salary. investors, attracting Aimed at thecode equivalentto himseverancepay give they provided that employers, example, for noreason, todismissaworkerfor business” intheworld, piecesoflegislation thecodeallows thegovernmentasoneofmost Described by “pro- labour code that was particularly unfavourable toworkers. unfavourable wasparticularly codethat labour 2006,n May parliamentadoptedanew theGeorgian them intoaccount. We tolimitsomeofthe managed have submitted alistof 60comments, took12of only butthey Petriashvili recalls: “We triedtowarnthegovernment, and the longtermeconomicinterestsof enterprise. As Irakli workers’interestsbutalso couldharmnotonly reforms the that ceeded inconvincingtheemployers’ association codewasstilljustabill,When thelabour theGTUCsuc- Even theemployers’ associationwas opposed Gocha Aleksandria. paying,” arereally thanthey a muchlowersalary continues workers’ salaries: itisintheemployers’intereststodeclare in allsortsofways, oftaxeson onthepayment particularly written contract. allowstheemployertocheat This inevitably mustbeturnedintoa within whichthisverbalagreement employer andtheemployee, atimelimit withoutstipulating between the onthe basisofaverbalagreement established tions. anemploymentcontracttobe “The codeallowsfor choosing twoworkersclosetohim/herleadthenegotia- and employer fromignoringthetradeuniondelegation be carriedout. topreventan There isnothingtherefore should does notincludeprovisionsonhowthenegotiations withaminimum oftwoworkers,collective agreement but employerstosigna codealsoenables The newlabour g ZviadNikolaishvili UNION #09 May 2008 • 3 VIEW the GSP+. granted under wanted tocontinueenjoythetradebenefits toberevisedifGeorgia codewouldhave thelabour that government clearwarningtotheGeorgian avery has given oftheEuropeanNeighbourhood Policyin2007 application However, the theEuropeanCommissionabout areportby (1).agreement tions inordertobenefitfromtheGSP+trade ILOconven- promisedtorespecttheinternational Georgia in2005,by Georgia was ratified thesameyearinwhich overtime allowedanddismissalprocedures. The Charter on suchfundamentalpointsasthenumberofhours theEuropeanSocialCharter codealsoviolates The labour Georgia couldloseitsEuropeanGSP+trade benefits tradeunionreasons. no dismissalsfor therecanbe inordertoguaranteethat amend itslegislation governmentto The CommitteeofExpertsaskstheGeorgian against suchdismissals.”not providesufficientprotection intradeunionactivities,participation does (...)thelegislation membershipofatradeunionor prohibiting alldismissalsfor last reportthat ofaprovisionexplicitly theabsence “given stressedinits tion ofConventionsandRecommendations As aresult, theILOCommitteeofExpertson Applica- bargaining. totheILO.The GTUCreportedthissituation andontherighttoorganisecollective of association standards,labour however, thoseonfreedom particularly regulator.only severalinternational violates The legislation neoliberal idealintopractice, makingthemarketplace relations,labour governmenthasputthe theGeorgian ofthemarketand anall-outliberalisation In optingfor paidannualleave.” 41-hour weekand24days peryear. leave 15 days a foresees The codenowinforce damage: a 48-hour working week and the barely bill foresaw union activities Malkhaz losttwo jobsbecauseofhistrade fortunately inanenterpriseopen tosocialdialogue.fortunately interview,Since that whichtookplace on5March2008, Malkhaztofindajob, tradeunionsolidarityhasenabled more.” allany at towanthelpothers, nature trade unionismbecauseitisinmy commitment tothis wifedoesn’tsupport my butmy wife’s the moment, earningsat in medium term. will not beviable butthat to findanotherjob. Ihave Istillsupport tradeunionactivities. monthsbecauseofmy It wasthesecondjobIhadlostin spaceoffour We arelivingon my February, Iwasdismissed, monthsafterbeing hired. four barely ofthe existenceoftheunion...andon6 himofficially Iwantedtomeetthedirector toinform that lawyer a company decided tojoin, electedmepresident. andthey 2008. on25January The unionwasfounded On4February, Itold Ihadtradeunion experience,that asked meifIcouldhelpthemsetupaunion. they Outofatotal50workers, 20 newworkplace, my There wasnounionat Geosteel, anIndian-ownedfactory. out found newcolleagues When my the directortoleave. two months, Iputupwithitfor anotherjobIleft. butassoonIfound company. stilltalkedtomeasusualoutsidethecementworks,The samecolleagues wanted toldmethey andthey to findanexcusesackme.about me. Rumourswerespread inthe mesocially wereorderedtoisolate Colleagues tenyears. for RustavCement electrician at As soonasIwaselected tothetradeunioncommittee, thedirectortried code. employers since theintroductionofnewlabour Georgian many practices adoptedby “Iworkedasan yearoldMalkhaz Forty-four Akhalaia liveswithhiswifeandthreechildren. Heisatypicalexampleoftheanti-union everything it could to discourage workers from affiliating to workersfromaffiliating itcouldtodiscourage everything From thenon, thecementworkersdid at management dialogue, hisownunioninthefactory”. to create threatening employer, social andrefusedtotakepartinany hegotangry “When weintroducedtheunionanditsdemandsto union,” created to joinanewly explainedGocha Aleksandria. region. wanted RustavCement “Aboutonethirdofworkersat thetradeunionmovementin training toreinvigorate social dialogue. The GTUCimplementedatrainingscheme also inRustavi, RustavCement, refusedtotake part inany Heidelberg, totheGermangroup cement worksbelonging on thetradeunionmovementortopreventitdeveloping. A codetolaunchanoutrightattack ofthenewlabour vantage In otherenterprises, however, theemployerhastakenad- Anti-union harassment inaHeidelberg subsidiary social dialogue, aproblem.” isn’treally that new codewasintroduced. Butwhentheemployerisopento the collectiveagreement), sincethe toaskfor wenowhave example,had arighttointhepast(for of therenegotiation someofthethingsweautomatically isthat “The difference into force,” GulikoManchkhashvili, says theunionpresident. rises, pay negotiated codecame evenafterthenewlabour maintainedagoodlevelofsocialdialogue,have andwe’ve totheunion.2,600 ofthe2,800workersareaffiliated “We 40kmfrom (atownabout inRustavi factory Tbilissi) where reasonable. Invest, OnesuchexampleisEnergy achemical theinfluenceoftradeunions,to combat othersarestill ofthenewcode tradition ofsocialdialoguetakeadvantage enterprise. ofsomeenterpriseswitha While themanagers ineach observed ing onthelevelofsocialdialogueusually depend- codevariesgreatly The impactofthenewlabour lll

the GTUC vice-president of Gocha Aleksandria, the victimsofthis indirectly become gian workers have the world, andGeor liberal reforms in encouraging neo- The World Bank is #09 “ UNION May 2008 • 4 VIEW g ZviadNikolaishvili - “ "T whether they were about uniondemands, wereabout whether they a aproposalfor ated. From thenon, ofour letters, toany hedidn’treply force hadbeennegoti- default’untilthenextagreement ‘by itwouldremainin that stipulated article intheagreement 2007, on1January collective agreement even thoughan union: “Thedirector, Lasha Akhaladze, endedthe unilaterally Vakhtang Tirkia, thevice-presidentofPoti portworkers’ ofsocialdialogue. onallforms ment steppedupitsattacks theneoliberallegislation, by Encouraged theport’s- manage members.” paying trade uniondues, whichledtoasharpfallinthenumberof example,for systemfor itrefusedtocontinuethecheck-off useversince.hasn’t stoppedattacking InDecember2006, gettingmoreinvolved. before management Management union. waitedtoseetheoutcome ofourdisputewith They lose theirjobs, supportthe andwouldnolongeropenly would they then onsomeoftheworkersbegantoworry union. targeted, werenotdirectly “Uniondelegates butfrom recalls EduardKorkia, presidentofthePotidockworkers’ 20,000 members altogether across Georgia asaresultof 20,000 membersaltogetheracrossGeorgia code(seearticlewichfollows).new labour “We’ve lostabout trend towardsanti-tradeunionismsincetheadoptionof exampleofthe on theBlackSeaisanevenmoreblatant ofthedockworkers’unioninportPoti The slowdeath 20,000 memberslost bay.the unionat dismissals inotherenterprises, hasbeenenoughtokeep office. Thispressure, combinedwithfrequentreferencesto explains GochaDaushvily, presidentoftheGTUC’s Rustavi topersuadetheworkersnot tojointheunion,”supervisors no longerharassesourmembersdirectly, buthestilltellshis an endtoitsanti-unionpractices. “Sincethen, thedirector management, put RustavCement whichrecommendedthat in Germany. contactedthegroup’s unionpromptly That top callingonthesupportofHeidelbergworkers’union it by In faceofthisrepression, theGTUCaskedITUCtohelp 3). pressure (seeboxonpage delegates, Malkhaz Akhalaia, resigned asaresultofallthe themwithdismissal.”the booktothreaten Oneoftheunion took asiestaduringthelunchbreak. trickin Heusedevery usedtheirmobilephonesorifthey ofthemifthey tograph toharassthem,the supervisor takingapho- exampleby for insultedourmembersandasked director ofRustavCement theirpost. fearfor ers areevenmorehesitantifthey The tosoninanenterprise,passing jobsdownfromfather work- code.adoption ofthenewlabour Giventhetraditionof the helikedfollowing it clearhehadtherighttodowhat of thebuildingworkers’unionexplains: “The directormade the newtradeunion, asDimitriGrigalashvily, vice-president lll Fierce anti-unionisminthePotiport just 20. The newlabourcodehasleftitsmark. over ayear, thenumberofworkers affiliatedtotheunionhasshrunkfrom1,200(outofa workforce of1,300) to The town ofPotiontheBlack Seaisnotablefortheextreme anti-unionattitudeofitsport’s management.In just just after the new labour code came into force," codecameintoforce," just afterthenewlabour 2006,he firstunjustifieddismissalstookplaceinJuly sons withcloseties tomanagement. didnot Management by per filmed our 15Octobermeeting hadbeendiscretely officers weredismissedon25October. We didn’tknowthat Vakhtang Tirkia: “Instead ofgettingareply, five tradeunion withintendays. areply and askingfor But, continues aletterexplainingits demands The unionsentmanagement support ofrankandfileworkers,” explainsEduardKorkia. job security...) westillhad the andtoshowtheemployerthat thearrival ofthenewinvestor,rise before guaranteesabout ourdemands(apay the meetingwastotalkthemabout 60workers duringthelunchbreak.of about The purposeof submissions,ing aheadwithcandidate weheldameeting 15 October2007, of theportwasmov- astheprivatisation the tradeunionleaderstriedtorevivetheirmovement. “On 2008.into afreetradezonefromMay At theendof2007, linkedtotheplansturnPoti ing oftheunionsisprobably will they lose their jobs if support they the union. This hound- theworkersthat usedtheirsecurity guardstothreaten have According totradeunionwitnesses, thePotiportauthorities theITUCinPoti a seminarorganisedby August 2007.” meeting, orarequesttoallowsomeoftheworkersattend labour rights.labour conventions,and implementinternational thoseon notably ratified have countriesthat provides specialincentivesfor reduction,tariff totheEuropean Union’s market. GSP+ developing countriesdutyfreeaccess, oraccesswitha goodsexportedby tured goodsandcertainagricultural manufac- The generalisedsystemofpreferencesgrants code.” victims ofthisthroughtheadoptionlabour the world, become the indirectly workershave andGeorgian criteria, the World in neoliberalreforms Bankisencouraging ers’ category. Byrankingcountriesonthebasisofsuch placeinthe infourth Bank ranksGeorgia ‘Employing work- how easyitistodobusinessin178countries, the World explains: “In itsreport ‘Doing Business’whichcompares financialinstitutions.the international Gocha Aleksandria takingtheoppositedirection, for several lobbies including toenditsneoliberalpolicy,Georgia butitisconfrontedwith topersuadethegovernmentof The GTUCworkstirelessly 5,000 members, couldlosetheirjobs.” they frightenedthat unionintheenterprisehaddiedout.GTUC-affiliated We lost himtodismissthem....easy for Sevenmonthslater, the into force, theemployertoldworkersitwouldbevery withus.rest stayed codecame afterthenewlabour Shortly ayellowunion.ated Halftheworkers’joinedthisunion, the severalyearsafteritcre- for dispute withthemanagement inthetownofZestaponi,factory example, for wewerein bour code,” IrakliPetriashvili. estimates “In ametalworking thisla- the harassmentanddismissalsmadepossibleby and implement international conventions,and implementinternational rights. thoseonlabour notably the EuropeanUnion’s market. ratified have countriesthat GSP+providesspecialincentivesfor developingcountriesdutyfreeaccess,goods exportedby reduction, or accesswithatariff to (1) manufactured goodsandcertainagricultural The generalisedsystemofpreferencesgrants - UNION #09 May 2008 • 5 VIEW In face attacks,of these repeated two union leaders from the dismissed, on1December, withnoofficialexplanation.” sacked. Elevenworkerswhorefusedtosign werefinally riskedbeing they wanted tomakethemunderstandthat shown theirnoticeofdismissal, clearly asmanagement workers signedtheletter. Someofthosewhorefusedwere the workers’interests, aunion. therewasnoneed for 800 ter said, example, for in dideverything asmanagement that workers, were anti-union. the preceding paragraphs The let- ofthefivedismissed thereinstatement the lettercallingfor the details. theendof at Although therewasaparagraph putting pressureonthemtosignquickly, withoutreading totheletter,asked themtosignawhitesheetattached executive committee. of theemployer “Representatives Mamuka Shengelia, amemberoftheportworkers’union “In reality, mostoftheworkerscouldn’tread letter,” says ter which, supposedly, theworkers’reinstatement. calledfor askingeachofthemtosignalet- tried toreassurethemby The dismissalsmadealotofworkersuneasy. Management Sign orgetthesack trade unionistsinordertogetridofthem.” the helpofvideorecordingitidentifiedmostactive themeeting, whoattended dare dismisseveryone butwith Vakhtang Tirkia, MamukaShengeliaandEduardKorkia didalltheycouldtokeeptheunionofportworkersinPoti going, despiteafierceanti-unioncampaignbytheauthorities. gS.G reinstatement of the workers unfairly dismissedfrom Poti. oftheworkersunfairly reinstatement toensure the urged thegovernmenttointervene repeatedly continue toreceivethesupportof ITUC, whichhas ofthedismissedtradeunionists.the reinstatement They todemand thecurrentmanagement hadtakenagainst they dialogue. of At thebeginning lostacourtcase April they will resultinanemployerwhoisless opposedtosocial privatisation The tradeunionistsofthePotiport hope that reinstated.” been ofdismissalshave lost theirjobsinthesecondwave beenreinstated.have twooftheelevenworkerswho Only acriminal record.not have Sofar, however, noneofthem did thefive dismissedtradeunionistsprovidedthey reinstate ofthese demands.satisfaction promisedto Management Poti tomeetsomeoftheportmanagers, wegainedpartial and withthehelpofpresidentGTUC, whocameto cess toourunionpremises. onhungerstrike,After fivedays toourletter settingoutourdemandsandtoregainac- reply ofthefivedismissedtradeunionists,the reinstatement for a ing. We ameetingwiththeportdirector, wereaskingfor for of them: “We beganourhungerstrikeinfrontof thebuild- inoneoftheport’slocated buildings. EduardKorkiawasone agement’s accesstothetradeunionoffice decisiontodeny port decidedtogoonhungerstrike, theman- by triggered UNION #09 May 2008 • 6 VIEW W For nearly anhour,For nearly the GTUCpresidentlistenstothework - second youcango." ‘toilet break’before the towaitfor thefrontofqueueyouhave are notat per day. thequeuesarelike?Ifyou what Canyouimagine five-minuteperiods gotothemduringtwodesignated only factory.Georgia-Karsa wecan "Helocksthetoiletssothat enough," quickly worked ifwehaven’t tostopusleaving theendof day at Spencer label. theemployerlocksdoors "Inourfactory which producesclothes, notably, Marks& theprestigious for Batumitex, ayoungwomen employedby rooms," begins health. intheironing isunbearable In thesummerheat per month. my isaffecting workthat isnotenough for That weighs3kilos,lifting anironthat of260lari a salary for begins. "Iworkfrom9:00a.m. to10:00p.m., feet, onmy everyone’s hand, andthediscussion drinksaglassofwater offices ofBatumitex, ofthe factories. thebiggest Heshakes himinthetradeunion arewaitingfor factories intheregion no timetorest: 60womenworkersfromthreeclothing town ontheBlackSea, sevenintheevening, at hehas of the Caucasus The sweatshopsoftheCaucasus unions are squaringuptotheemployers. taking advantagerelatively closetotheirmarkets. ofthelow costofproductioninthiscountry The Georgian trade Excessive working hours, poverty wages, primitiveworking conditions: clothingcompaniesare biginternational union confederation, arrives inBatumi, aharbour hen IrakliPetriashvili, presidentoftheGTUCtrade continues a worker from the Turkish-owned confirms what thewomensay:confirms what oftheworkersare "Many Chito Antadze, workers’ union, presidentoftheBatumitex Up to20hoursadayinthefactory more, any want themoney Iwantanormallife." late.that We overtime, getpaidanextra50%for butIdon’t p.m. childrenwhenIgohome my Ican’tmakedinnerfor once. 9:00or10:00 itwassystematically The otherdays old. 6:00p.m. togohomeat able "LastweekIwasonly one day,” explainsoneofthewomen, 50years whoisabout work. "We toworktheequivalentoftwoshiftsin oftenhave to have theovertimethey women startcomplainingabout between usandtheemployer, tonguesareloosenedandthe around amongtheworkers. Oncethereisalittledistance the factory’s 1,040workersareunionmembers), wewalk all butisopentosocialdialogue(nearly nervous appears evening. While IrakliPetriashvilitalkstotheemployer, who hastobegotoutthat there isanimportantorderthat and “packing” outbecause departments areallworkingflat workshops. Itis9.30pm, butthe “quality control,” “ironing” couldhelpthem.that Then itistimetovisittheBatumitex ers’ complaintsandsetsoutthetradeunionstrategies g S.G. #09 there is lose the only work cannot afford to its orders here. We continues to place Marks & Spencer tion, but is vital that improve oursitua- We want to fight to “ UNION May 2008 • 7 VIEW “ erage salary is only 160 laris (70 euros) for a42-hourweek 160laris(70euros)for isonly salary erage Western Europe.- Suchlowpricescould explainwhytheav morethan40eurosin willbesoldfor adressthat euros) for According totheunion, gets1lari(0.43 only Batumitex "I’d leave ifIcouldfindanotherjob" howtomakeanewgarment." to learnquickly have theworkersarewhenmodelschangeandthey for justify employingasecondteamfulltime. The hardesttimes beenoughordersto therewillconstantly no guaranteethat hire asecondteamtoworkaneveningshift. Infactthereis overtime perday, 1.5timesthenormalrate, evenat thanto extrahours workersfor hisdaytime the employertopay mitex workers’union.for "Itisdoubtlessmoreprofitable explains ManoniJaparidze,- vice-presidentoftheBatu oftheproductionprocesswascutintwo," eachstage at transferred toours, theworkers for andthetimeallocated inBursa,of afactory Turkey. were factory that "Ordersfor Work theclosure reachedthispunishingpacefollowing onit.” our unioniskeepingaclosewatch their quota, themovertime, triestonotpay management but tomeetthem.work upto20hoursaday don’tmeet Ifthey to Production quotasaresetandsomeoftheworkershave month off, doesn’trespecttheagreement. butmanagement leasttwoweekendsa at allworkersmusthave that stating worn out. withmanagement Ourunionsignedanagreement Winning thebattleforsocialdialogue trade unionactivities. " shouldrespecttheiremployerandnotgetinvolved in tobesackedbecausethey thenineworkersdeserved that ofKhelvachauri,mayor MrLevan Abashize, these tradeunionists. withsolvingthedisputeandreinstating Hereplied the officialrecognitionoftheirunion. Gocha Aleksandria reported: helpfromthedeputy BTMaskedfor "Theunionat intheregion,another clothingfactory BTM, inKhelvachauri, ninetradeunionistsweredismissedlastMarchdespite Karsa,In thecaseofGeorgia oneofthemhas wonreinstatement. weredismissedandonly twouniondelegates In troublesareover, theuniondelegates’ mean that however. time, any canbedismissedat They withoutjustification. asGeorgia, legislation neoconservative tradeunionrecognitiondoesnotalways hassuchstrongly that In acountry normal time." with histradeuniondelegation. Severaloftheworkers’demandsweremet,at the includingtherighttofinishwork strikes.facing aconstantseriesofwildcat Karsaboss, OncewehadpersuadedtheGeorgia todialogue heagreed willbe they theexistenceofatradeuniondoesnotmeanthat tospenda lot oftimeconvincingemployersthat have plains Gocha Aleksandria, vice-presidentoftheGTUC, Karsa. Georgia at whotookpartinthenegotiations "We often inhisfactory," toenterintorealsocial dialoguewiththeelectedtradeuniondelegates theemployer toagree for ex- ofthepresidentChamberCommerce "It tooktheintervention Autonomous Republicof Adjara however theworkers,by tomeetwithGTUCleaders. buthedidagree little, Little by dialoguewas established. demand, amongstotherthings, unionrecognition. chosen The employercontinuedtorefusetalkthedelegates to gates thefactory on10Marchat majority ofhisworkersorganisedademonstration harder linewhenthegreat ers werereadytojoin, aunioninhiscompany. therewasnoneedfor buttheemployerinsistedthat Hetookaneven Republic of Adjara. aunionand50otherwork- wantedtoform Karsaclothingfactory FiveworkersfromtheGeorgia hashadpositiveresults, confederation thenational by lastMarchinBatui, notably ofthe thecapital Autonomous levelwhenemployersrepressunionorganising. theinternational at rate rootsunions The directsupportofthegrass from thecapital, Tbilissi. theseleaders, Itiseasierfor moreaccustomed tomoderntradeunionstrategies,- tocollabo The helpoftheGTUCconfederation’s unionsinfactoriesfar leadersisoftenwelcomedwhenitcomestocreating Batumi.... withamarchthroughthestreetof GTUC willbecelebrating Tomorrow isMarch8, International Women’s Day, whichthe work,are stillat aftermorethan13hoursinthefactory. 10:15p.m. visitendsat The factory Dozensofwomen orders themtogetbackworkimmediately. tiredofhearingthemcomplain,the employerisclearly and on theirworkingconditions. wanttotellusmore,They but thebuyerswhocouldcheck never seenanauditorsentby the meantime, have they thewomenworkersexplainthat to extractaverbalpromisefromtheemployeronthis. In totakeitinturns. have if they IrakliPetriashvilimanages work,and ironingdepartmentstositdownwhilethey even leastsomeoftheworkersinqualitycontrol to allowat wages, management workers’unionisurging theBatumitex betterworkinghoursand for In additiontoitsnegotiations here. We workthereis." tolosetheonly cannotafford Marks&Spencercontinuestoplaceitsorders is vitalthat else inBatumi. We wanttofightimproveoursituation, but behindthecostofliving, fallenway have butthereisnothing straightaway, resignation in my asoursalaries especially ‘ironing’ department. "Iftherewereotherjobs, Iwouldhand anemployeeintheBatumitex tightdeadlines,"says very for choice torefuseovertime. orders tofinish There arealways (excluding overtime). usthe "Theemployerdoesn’tgive UNION #09 May 2008 • 8 VIEW T achieve socialdialogue. Somegoasfarahungerstrike tomake themselvesheard. Yellow unions, harassment, dismissals…Georgian workers oftenhave tofaceagamutofanti-uniontactics Hunger strike, thelastresort the Tbilissi metroworkers’ unionwhomadetheheadlines 2008,In February itwasthe presidentandvice-presidentof difficulties, 4).at thePotiport(seepage suchastheunion The Telasi hungerstrikeinspiredotherunionsfacingserious leave." ofmaternity and theduration ments, rises, pay notably annualleave the numberofdays code,new labour makealotofimprove- beenable wehave newdemands,negotiate butthereisdialogue. Despitethe provedourstrengthinthepast. wehave that Ittakestimeto socialdialogue,for knows becauseitsmanagement partly whichhasmorerespect a Russiangroup then boughtby ofa yellowunion,the creation withoutsuccess. Telasi was onunionbusterswhotriedtoencourage amount ofmoney allourdemands wereaccepted,nearly AES spentahuge to stopthisincreaseinunionmembership. after Shortly Ghoniashvili says: could they did everything "Management force (see page 2). (seepage force ButasMalkhaz undermines workers’rightscameinto codethat even afterthenewlabour its members’interestseffectively, tocontinuedefend union delegation high levelofmembershipallowsthe 103arenotunionmembers.only This out ofatotal2,202workersin Telasi, 700 workersjoinedtheunion. Today, thissuccess, by Encouraged another Improvements " collective agreement. into the wereincorporated and they acceptance ofninethetendemands, without food, ledto fiercenegotiations the uniondelegation. After sixdays strike withseveralothermembersof president oftheGTUC)wentonhunger the Telasi union, IrakliPetriashvili(now thedirector,by thethenpresidentof ten demands. wererefused When they withalistof we presentedmanagement We heldfirmandinacounter-attack theunion. of2,000)toleave workforce the 1,300unionmembers(outofa dismissal. alsopressured Management as beingfiveminuteslate, tojustifya even themostminorpretexts, such ontheworkers’backs,constantly using them. Fromthenon, was management thejobsof240 tosave managed waselected,union delegation andit Telasi workers’union. "Anewtrade Malkhaz Ghoniashvili, presidentofthe going todismiss630workers,"explains announceditwas new management "A fewmonthsafterthebuyout, Telasi’s itsunion. knellfor sounded thedeath the American multinational AES nearly theendofninetiesby at region) ity supply company for the for company ity supply Tbilissi he buyoutof Telasi (theelectric- The leadersoftheMetro Workers' Unionin risewithoutinconveniencing Tbilisi usedahungerstriketogetwage length oftheemployment contractfromonetotwoyears, collar workersinthe metro. We alsowonanincreaseinthe betweenwhiteandblue differential which reducedthepay to 17%, 2%to3%, andthoseofthehighestpaidworkers by 15% salaries ofthelowestpaidworkers wereincreasedby our hungerstrike, demandsweremet: severalofourkey the tocoverthestory.immediately Three hoursafterwebegan ouraction, tobegin metro station andthepresswerethere ofthetradeunions. tarnishedthe image have We wenttoa of held thewholepopulation Tbilissi toransomandwould wouldhave organise ageneralstrikeonthemetrothat nowhere. We than preferredtogoonhungerstrikerather ofemployment contracts,the duration butweweregetting riseandextending about apay fivedays for management take suchradicalaction: "We hadbeenindiscussionswith Kharatishvili, theunionpresident, ledthemto explainswhat goingonhunger striketosupporttheirdemands.by Besik any travellers.any gZviadNikolaishvili #09 lissi region market inthe Tbi- from thebiggest a uniondelegate Manana Gakharia, the market. lose theirpitch on because they could protest individually The sellers dare not “ UNION May 2008 • 9 VIEW g ZviadNikolaishvili “ I nise themifitwants toberepresentative ofthecountry’s workforce. About two thirds of Georgia’s working populationare self-employed. The GTUChasnochoice: toorga- itmusttry economy the informal Promising first results from organising our election, goingtocourtget300of by wemanaged andFebruary.dismissed inJanuary Inthemonthsfollowing union wasinabadway. Onethousandworkershadbeen last twoyears. "WhenwewereelectedinMarch2006, the alotofjobsoverthe helpedsave have leaders becausethey workers wereallthemorereadytosupporttheirtradeunion over fromustokeepourhungerstrikegoing."Themetro the supportofallworkers, whowerepreparedtotake wehad theemployerrealisedthat improvements isthat alongperiodtowinthese for tostopeating did nothave victory.such arapid thereasonwe "Thereisnodoubtthat adecisiveroleinwinning port ofalltheirmembersplayed the metroworkers’union, GeorgeKhitalishvili, thesup- andthevice-presidentof According toBesikKharatishvili tasks." outthehardest thosecarrying risefor and anotherpay lar, recruitingmore members. for As soonasthereare100 aleaderwhowilltake responsibility,to designate inparticu- at theworkplace,"As soonaswerecruitfivepeople wetry which takesalotoftimeandenergy," Zaza says Agladze. join, collectiveactionis, toexplainwhat fromthebeginning, worker, totalkevery have toconvince them oftheneedto themarkettraderstojoin.the marketstoencourage "You theunionbegantodistributeleaflets in From itscreation Trade unionismforbeginners in Georgia, including100,000inthepublicmarketsalone." ployed. In 2007therewere1.4millionself-employedpeople theunem- government doesnotprovidesocialsecurityfor ofthenineties. thebeginning at in Georgia However, the to survive. duringandafterthecivilwar This trendgrew their jobs, theirownjobs ofthemhadtocreate andmany dismantled, andendedupclosing. Thousands ofpeoplelost factories losttheirlinkswitheachotherwhentheUSSRwas car, republics. oftentookplace in different ofthese Many USSR, ofproduction, stages thedifferent exampleofa for fromtheindependenceofGeorgia.dates ofthe Inthedays somuchinGeorgia:has grown "Itisadevelopmentthat Commercial Workers, economy explainswhytheinformal Zaza Agladze, president oftheUnionSelf-employedand Tbilissi alone. no lessthan2,500workersjoinedtheunionincapital possible. The first resultsareencouraging: inthreemonths, to extendthis, self-employedworkersas toreachasmany traders.to reachthanmoreisolated The aim, however, is traders inthebig, permanentmarketplaces, whoareeasier the challenge. on concentrating The newunioniscurrently Workers” shows, however, theGTUCisreadytorise that ber 2007ofa “Union ofSelf-employedandCommercial involve themincollectiveaction. inDecem- The creation of peopleworkingontheirown, andevenmoredifficultto traditional unionstoreachoutthehundredsofthousands self-employed workersareunionised.for Itisdifficult countries, asinmany n Georgia fewofthecountry’s very Petriashvili. warnsIrakli requiremedicaltreatment," stomach ulcersthat fromproblemstoday. healthandIstillsuffer my Ihave persuade theemployertochangehismind, butitaffected yourself heard. The hungerstrikeIwentonat Telasi helped last resort, ofmaking nootherway whenthereisreally there areserioushealthrisks. a "Ahungerstrikeisonly become aregularmeansofpressure, however, because themto metro workers’unionsshouldnotbeareasonfor the The positiveoutcomeofthehungerstrikesby Telasi and Physical aftereffects 190 euros)." ofmetroworkersfrom280to437 liras(from120to salary them reinstated. We alsosucceededinraisingtheaverage The marketworkers arealsoaskingthenewtradeunion to makeprogress." asithasbeen,members continuestogrow wewillbeable beeninexistenceafewweeks,has only butifthenumber of spectacularresultsyetbecausetheunion hadany haven’t first,at weweredoing. understoodwhat butwholater We managers, whosuspectedusofbeingpoliticalpartyactivists ties. We alsoenteredintodialoguewiththemarket have tothehighestauthori- it ispossibletotaketheirgrievances on themarket. Buttogether, unitedundertheunionbanner, couldlosetheirpitch becausethey not protestindividually employees, don’tgetthesamebenefits. butthey dare They up theiractivities, were incometaxjust asifthey pay they tostart taken theriskofborrowingmoney workers have oftheseinjustices.wants toraiseawareness "Themarket ket, inthe the biggest with5,000workers,Tbilissi region Manana Gakharia, fromtheLilomar auniondelegate "They dare notprotestindividually" time." taxallthat beenpaying have and 10or15yearsinordertosurvive been workinghardfor economy,person hasworkedintheinformal evenifthey’ve employed...but theseyearsarenottakenintoaccountifthe ted accordingtothenumberofyearssomeonehasbeen them:for asupplement tothebasicpensioniscalcula- Agladze. "We exampletogetbetterpensions wouldlikefor nosocialsecurityinreturn,"explainsZaza receive virtually workers makeup25%ofthegovernment’s budget, butthey obtain aproperstatus. self-employed "The taxespaidby One oftheunion’s aimsistohelptheseworkers primary takingthisstep. results before duesyet;itiswaitingtogetitsfirsttangible members topay will contactusifitisurgent." The unionisnotaskingits union’s and ishappening employeeswilltakenoteofwhat member can callwhereoneofthe any is adirectlinethat people, acommitteeiselected. Ifthereareproblems, there

- lll UNION #09 May 2008 • 10 VIEW flexibility. Andalso, thissystemhasnotbeenperfected: a neverknown. have they system that There hastobemore education,little formal usethisticket canbarely andthey of severalmonths’earnings. Yet someofthetradershave thesecond,1,000 for casestheequivalent whichisinmany offence,for thefirst client isfined500laris(220Euros) and For example, atillreceiptto atraderwhodoesnotgive fines, thereistalkof"officialcorruption." totheextentthat heavy errorcanbepunishedby slightest administrative practices. certainabusive to combat Zaza Agladze: "The lll Zaza Agladze, PresidentoftheUnionSelf-Employed Workers and Traders, convincingworkersintheinformaleconomytojoinhisorganisation. spendsalotofenergy gZviadNikolaishvili Trader, taxi driveranddogtrainer though she has worked for 50years." though shehasworked for ourchildren, allowancefor education don’t getany mother’s andmy 65laris amonth(28euros)even pension isonly family,other smalljobstohelpmefeedmy such asbeingataxidriverordogtrainer. todothisbecausewe Ihave month. aweekfrom7:00a.m. openthreedays The marketisonly to3:00p.m., soIspendtherest ofthetimedoing travel, pitch, my customsdutyandthe235laris(103euros)rentfor about 250to300laris a I’mleftwithaprofitof brother andsister. to travel Iregularly Turkey tobuytheclothes Isellonthismarket. my paidfor BythetimeIhave unstable. wasvery mother andsometimesmy the situation eightyears withmy workedonthismarket for Ihave my universitystudiesinelectronics,"When Ifinished therewerenojobsinGeorgia. Itwasduringthecivilwarand hundredsofthousandsself-employedworkersin Georgia: theprecariousness andpovertyfacedby illustrates the outskirtsof Tbilissi. HehasjustjoinedtheUnionofSelf-employedandCommercial Workers. Hisexperience Thirty-eight yearold Armen, ofthree, father hissmallclothing businessintheLilomarket, rentsapitchfor on pitch inthemarket, areonholiday.” evenwhenthey their for topay have they of ourmembersalsocomplainthat asdoesthedollarexchangerate. daily prices fluctuate Alot of things. inthistime because canlosealotofmoney They timetocheckuponawholerange theadministration give cansellit, they amonthbefore their merchandisefor to obstacles: administrative by also dogged tostock have they getting thetaxback. Those sellingsecond-handgoodsare example becauseitisfaulty, thetraderhasnomeansof the ticket, returnsthemerchandise, butifaclientlater for taxonthebasisofamountshown trader hastopay Tbilissi at theILOofficein technical adviser Zsolt Dudas, chief members train their own that participants to thegrassroots, training filters down unions is that the with the trade tages ofworking One oftheadvan- #09 “ UNION May 2008 • 11 VIEW “ O potential problems are, the procedures, ways thedifferent a standard explaining employment what contract is, the what tion willbeproduced, simple, withvery directinformation potential migrants. Manualsonthecountriesofdestina- "We thissummerfor aregoingtoorganisetrainingjointly as project far to of as limit migrants possible.the exploitation acooperation The ILOandtheGTUCarenowbeginning Involving theunionstocover thewholecountry exploitation." It opensthedoortoincreasingexploitation, includingsexual however, youauthorisation; give toaskyou.” afavour Ihave tothem ployer says longer, inany “you can’tstay butIwill afterthisperiod,dependence oftenbegins whentheem- oranother.certain numberofmonthsinonecountry Their a therighttoremainfor domestic workershave Georgian the causeofother," explainsZsoltDudas. "Forexample, isnottraffickinginitself,"Illegal migration butoneisoften abroad. Georgians ofmany tion increasesthevulnerability ontheir countriesofdestina- and thelackofinformation countries ofdestination. legally The difficultiesinmigrating ofthemarebeingexploited,many eventrafficked, intheir on thenumberofmigrants, itisimpossibletoknowhow struction, agriculture...). statistics ofreliable Intheabsence arelowskilledworkers(domesticwork,the migrants con- Baltic States, Western EuropeorthePersianGulf. Mostof suchas countriesorregions by followed Turkey, Greece, the migrants, Georgian for Russia istheprincipaldestination theILOofficeinadviser at Tbilissi. knowlivingabroad,”they ZsoltDudas, says chieftechnical oroneperson 80% ofthemhadonepersonintheirfamily householdsin selected 300Georgian random.Tbilissi at trend. ofthemigratory another indication "Lastyear, astudy migration, itestimates gives ing theway butarecentsurvey governmentonimprov- workingwiththeGeorgian currently ing abroad, of4,3million. outofatotal population The ILOis liv- from300,000 to1millionGeorgians ranging estimates years. arevague, onthenumber ofmigrants Statistics with inthelastfew their country toleave thousands ofGeorgians forced hundredsof has This difficulteconomicsituation exports.Moscow onGeorgian alsoresultedinaneconomicembargoby with Russiahave from theGTUCtradeunionconfederation. Serioustensions NodarQoqiashvili, politicalreasons,"says for ananalyst some Moscow pricespecifically,also rises applies to Georgia clientsallovertheworld,no doubtraisesitspricesfor but 100%. by and water We fromRussia, buyourenergy which 500%. In2007alone, 50%, thepriceofgashasclimbedby behind. risenby "Inthelasttenyearselectricitypriceshave risingcostofliving,the constantly far withsalarieslagging 70laris(30euros).minimum pensionofbarely Then thereis 13.6%anda unemploymentat economy; in theinformal people ofGeorgia: twothirdsoftheworkingpopulation 12% in2007. the lifefor Ontheotherisrealityofdaily ensuring betterprotectionforthemigrants. often leadstoexploitation. Inaprojectrunjointlyby theILO, theGeorgian trade unionsare gettinginvolved in Hundreds ofthousandsGeorgianstheirluck haveabroad. fledpoverty totry Thispoorly regulated migration migrant workers ILO andunionsworking togetherto protect to thegovernment, ofabout suchaseconomicgrowth arepleasing that n theonehandtherearestatistics vice-president of the GTUC. Gocha says other countriesof destination," Aleksandria, hope todevelopthesepartnerships withtradeunionsfrom the Turkish tradeunionHak-Isonsomethingsimilar, andwe workin,principal sectorsthey etc. We with arecollaborating ofthesemigrants,a survey theirworkingconditions, the migrants. Georgian point for out personwill alsocarry That theGreektradeunionGSEEisalready contact ployed by ofdestination.with theunionsincountry "Someoneem- these projects. Italsohopestodevelopbettercooperation On thetradeunionside, all theGTUCisenthusiasticabout theunions".done by could be employmentagencies private task ofregulating inspectioninGeorgia, labour no longerany onepartofthe regulated, reasonable, theemployer. andpaidby As thereis month’s salary. The ILObelievesthesecostsshouldbe sometimes excessive, demandingupto50%ofthenext willaskfromtheworkers. they how muchmoney are They getting involvedintrafficking. aretheoneswhodecide They wereregulated,agencies therewouldbelessriskofthem toaccountanyone,”have ZsoltDudas. says "Ifthese ofself-regulation, form not subjecttoany don’t andthey workers andhelpthemgoabroad. are "Atthemomentthey recruitmigrant that monitoring theemploymentagencies tradeunionsin The ILOalsowantstoinvolvetheGeorgian Regulating private employment agencies betterwages. pay countries that future couldbeshortoflabour, for asitsworkersareleaving the buildingindustry, whichisnowboomingbutinthe toGeorgia,also beofbenefittofuturemigrants in notably this trainingcould Zsolt Dudas. Intime, the country,” says present throughout because unionsare phenomenon, partly ies onthemigratory involve theminstud- members. We planto pants traintheirown roots, partici- that down tothegrass the trainingfilters trade unionsisthat of workingwiththe of theadvantages them.issue for One trafficking isanew unions because theGeorgian for training also offering are agencies national ILO andotherinter information, etc. The of obtainingmore - g ZviadNikolaishvili Trade union unity under attack in schools

A yellow union created by headmasters has aroused the wrath of teachers. Web Site: http://www.ituc-csi.org Site: Web Publisher responsible in law: Publisher responsible in law: General secretary Guy Ryder, ITUC Belgium 1210-Brussels, Bte 1, Albert II, 5 Bld du Roi +32 2 2015815 Fax: +32 2 2240211, Tel: [email protected] • E-Mail: Samuel Grumiau. Report: Zviad Nikolaishvili and Samuel Grumiau Photos: Natacha David Editor in Chief: Cepedal Vicente Layout:

g Zviad Nikolaishvili

ne of Georgia’s biggest trade union federations, the teliani explains: "The average salary for teachers is about OEducators & Scientists Free Trade Union of Georgia 100-120 laris a month (43-52 euros), and their pension is (ESFTUG), has been in turmoil since the beginning of the only 35 laris (15 euros). To make ends meet, some teachers year, following the creation of a yellow union that receives have to give private lessons. A lot of retired teachers help from the authorities. "The union was created by the continue to work to get both their salary and the penions… headmasters, who claim to be defending teachers’ inte- but even that isn’t enough to live decently. The president rests," explains Maia Liparteliani, the ESFTUG’s lawyer. "A lot has promised a pay rise, however." The union fears that of headmasters have asked our members to leave and join the combination of low pay and difficult working conditions the new union. The leaders of this yellow union are lining (overcrowded classes…), will lead to a shortage of teachers their own pockets, in several ways. They organise training within the next few years. seminars, for example which teachers are strongly encouraged to take part in. The seminars are supposedly paid for Over the last few months the union has also been battling out of the school budget. In the end it is the participants against the imposition of short term contracts on teachers. who pay because these costs are not foreseen in the school "As a result of the new general education code adopted in budget. Members of the yellow union get a 50% reduction 2005, employment contracts are now signed directly by on the cost of the training. The union is supported by some the teacher and their headmaster," says Maia Liparteliani. regional authorities, such as in the autonomous republic "Since 2007, a lot of headmasters have put pressure on of Adjara where the Public Education Ministry publishes teachers to sign one-year contracts. We’ve been campai- the union’s membership application form on its website." gning intensely against these contracts and have encou- Education International (EI) has written to Georgia’s Ministry raged our members to refuse to sign them. There are risks of Education protesting at the authorities’ interference in the for the teachers who refuse to sign because the new labour internal affairs of the union. code enables employers to dismiss staff very easily. Some This split orchestrated by some headmasters is even more headmasters did go that far, but our pressure has worked regrettable given that the 110,000 members of ESFTUG are because the authorities have backed down and the teachers in dire need of the support of their union. As Maia Lipar- no longer have to sign these fixed term contracts."