International Labor Organization Published an Annual Report

The Committee of Experts of the International Labor Organization published an annual report and fully accepted the package of recommendations from the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation.

The Report analyzes several aspects of labor issues in Georgia and calls on Georgian government to regulate and correct acute issues in the field of labor, including concrete guidelines on labor inspection, gender equality, discrimination on trade union grounds and sexual harassment

Labor inspectorate in Georgia was abolished in 2006 and the field remains uncontrolled. In the report, the Committee of Experts expressed regret on that case and underlined necessity and importance of a supervisory body to inspect labor working conditions and labor safety issues.

The Committee responds to the state program on labor inspection and notes that this program has a number of flaws, including absence of its effective implementation.In addition, ILO expects explanations from Georgian government in regards to fulfilling the obligations undertaken through the N100 Convention, which deal with cases of equal payment for equal work. ILO is interested in activities organized by the state in context of the governmental program of Labor Inspection related to Convention N100.

Report defines the importance of proper implementation of the ILO Convention N100 on “equal payment for the equal work”, and because of the significant differences between the wages of men and women in Georgia, ILO asks the government to eliminate this inequality and reduce the difference between salaries. At the same time, the Committee’s urges to use all available resources of the country, reveal the causes of difference between wages, such as gender discrimination, gender stereotypes and work segregation. ILO recommends Georgia to encourage women to work in a wide range of jobs, including high managerial positions.

Amendment of the Labor Code, according to which any kind of interference in work of employees and employers associations is prohibited, is considered as a positive step by the ILO report, but committee emphasizes the necessity of the use of sanctions against the violator and needs of the mechanisms to restore this right.

Based on the conclusions of the GTUC, including the inefficiency and inadequacy of using administrative sanctions against a person who violates the rights, ILOs Committee of experts, calls on the government to prohibit sexual harassment in labor relations. In addition, it indicates the necessity of tools for restoration of victims' rights and invokes the Government to define the concept of sexual harassment in the Labor Code as it is done in the Gender Equality Law.

In the same report, the Committee of Experts deals with the issue of equal opportunities for women and men. It emphasizes the problem of violence against women, gender stereotypes and the role of women in the family, speaks about the obstacles that women faces while combining family obligations with job responsibilities and therefore, recommends government to ensure gender equality. ILO states that it is important to remove employment barriers for women, in order to create equal opportunities for everyone.