Action plan

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Georgian Trade Union Confederation (GTUC)
Action Plan   2017-2021

Since 2012, due to the amendments to the Labour Code of Georgia, better conditions for development of the trade union movement were created.

However, existing progress still requires significant changes in terms of social policy and labour legislation, such as – intensification of active or passive policies of employment; adoption of Laws on minimal salaries and unemployment compensation; promotion and defence of women’s labour rights; promotion of the employment of young generation and adoption of legislation for protection of the labour rights; elimination of discrimination on trade union grounds; authorizing labour inspection to carry out effecient measures; adoption and realization of socially acceptable pension reform based on the  principle of solidarity.

Activation of social partnership at the greatest possible degree shall be especially significant. In this respect importance of the Tripartite Committee on Social Partnership shall be considered to the maximum extent possible. Tripartite Committee has been recently established and is not yet fully functional.

Georgian Trade Union Confederation (GTUC) highlights significance of establishing the internationally recognized labour and social standards, contributing coherently to the achievement of gender equality and engagement of young generation in trade union movement, civil and employment improvements which will facilitate building of a better future and family welfare.

GTUC aims to increase number of its affiliated members by 10% in forthcoming 4 years and defines the following activity priorities therefore:

Organizational Strengthening

Aiming to ensure full advantage of the rights granted by legislation and assist diverse profile trade unions, it is important to strengthen sectorial units and structures within GTUC, namely through implementing of the following activities:

• Affiliation of new members/’’Organizing’’
• Legal consulting and advocacy
• Social-Economic analysis, lobbying the interests and proposals of the trade union, including minimal remuneration, pension reform, policy of the labour market, establishment of social and labour benefits at the legislative level for the workers performing hard, harmful or hazardous work
• Qualified negotiations on collective disputes raised during the course of labour relations
• Legal and technical inspection of the work undertaken by trade unions
• Support strengthening and improvement of state labour inspection
• Communication with civil society
• International relations
• Promote and advance the rights and interests of employers at the state institutions
• Establishment of trade union solidarity fund

Organizing:

With the aim to strengthen trade union organizations, GTUC shall activate work on ‘’organizing’’ through supporting various profile organizations to reveal new ‘’organizers’’ and regularly expand qualification of current ones. Target rate of the increased number of affiliated members will increase up to 10% over the next 4 years.

Social, Tax and Employment Policy

• Taking into account the aim to maximize response on the social and employment problems in the country, GTUC plans to:
  – Intensify work on minimum amount of salaries, prioritize and discuss this issue through the Tripartite Committee on Social Partnership
  – Prioritize the issue of minimum amount of salaries in the civil society through media and other available sources
• Active involvement in pension system reform by providing efforts to incorporate solidarity components in it, including:
  – Support the pension system reform and its implementation pursuant to the draft provisions prepared by GTUC
  – Active participation through Tripartite Committee on Social Partnership in the process of implementation of the pension reform
• Active employment policy. Monitoring of programs and activities undertaken by state towards the employment policy; drafting of relevant recommendations; Participation in formation of the labour market. Examination of relevant best international practices and promoting GTUC proposals;
• Intensification of the work on legislation regarding unemployment benefits/allowances
• Support and facilitate granting of social and tax priviliges to employees working under harsh, harmful, or hazardous labour conditions. Advocate for relevant draft laws introduced by GTUC to the Parliament of Georgia, develop additional projects on:
  – Exemption of miners from income tax
  – Reduction of the retirement age up to 55 years for miners
• Run campaigns for proper youth employment. Create volunteer groups, engage young generation in line with their education in various short term projects on protection of workers’ rights; develop campaigns to raise the awareness on GTUC activities
• Ensure policy that will facilitate access to the labour market, encourage workers to move from informal to a formal sector and promote their affiliation to GTUC
• In case of awarding collective agreements, implement the principle of automatic indexing of salaries according to the inflation.

Indicators:  

1. Increase of minimal salaries in private sector
2. Number of draft provisions proposed by GTUC and incorporated in pension reform
3. Number of workers within the employment policy recruited upon consideration of GTUC proposals
4. Discussion on implementation and application of unemployment benefits/allowances with social partners
5. Defined tax/social privileges for miners
6. Reduction of youth unemployment.

Continuous Reform of Labour Legislation

• Adopt draft laws and respective subordinate normative acts that should be incorporated in labour code and relevant legislative framework with the aim to ensure their harmonization with international obligations and strengthen guarantees for the workers in the following fields:
  – Women’s rights;
  – Rights of single mothers and parents with multiple children;
  – Elimination of discrimination at the workplace;
  – Youth employment and labour rights;
  – Labour rights of persons with disabilities;
  – Ensure freedom of association and collective negotiations;
  – Safety at work;
  – Establishment of effective labour inspection institution
• Facilitate ratification of ILO conventions which were not ratified yet;
• Protection of labour rights of workers through consultations and representations at the court;
• Raising the awareness and developing skills of workers through conducting seminars, trainings and other informative campaigns.

Indicators:

1. Number of successful labour-related cases won in the courts within the total number of law-sues.
2. Improvement of the rights of women, youth and persons with disabilities.
3. Number of international agreements on labour-related issues ratified by Georgia.

Ensuring Labour Safety

• Legislative initiatives, including harmonization of labour inspection with EU-Georgia Association Agreement and conventions of International Labour Organization (ILO);
• Introduction/adoption of the preventive system in the enterprises and organizations with the aim to ensure labour safety conditions at the workplace;
• Conduct seminars and trainings on labour safety at the workplace for member organizations and enterspises;
• Legal assistance related to compensation of damages for the victims of fatal accidents at the workplace;
• Participation in the process of development of subsidiary normative acts ‘’technical regulations’’ on labour safety.

Indicators:

1. Improve the Charter on ‘’Labour Inspection’’, empower this body with the right to impose the sanctions;
2. Prevention and decrease of a number of fatal accidents at the workplace.

Youth Policy

With the aim to strengthen Youth Committee of GTUC and facilitate effective implementation of major activities in general, the priority areas for the forthcoming four years shall be:

• Drafting of the document that will define and outline main policy of GTUC towards the young generation;
• Supporting involvement of workers and most importantly of the young generation in various fields of activities;
• Creating and strengthening of common platform for workers, students and volunteer activists;
• Increase involvement of young generation already participating in the work of separate sectorial trade units, in the wider activities of GTUC;
• Advocate through involvement of young generation for workers’ priority issues on various levels; develop informative campaigns to prioritize the range of topics such as: labour safety, organization of workers and equal public order;
• Undertake measures to raise the awareness of young generation and students through conducting public lectures and discussions, conferences, seminars and trainings;
• Identify and prioritize young families with multiple children and facilitate their inclusion in various social projects;
• Effective involvement of young generation in the work of various sectorial units within GTUC;
• Strengthen the Youth Committee on a regional level;
• Increase number of young people within trade union bodies;
• Ensure awarding/signing of the memorandum of understanding between sectorial trade unions and the Youth Committee.

Indicators:

• Increase of the role and competences of Youth Committee within GTUC
• Increase of a number of young people among GTUC members.

Achievement of Gender Equality; Women’s Rights

• Fight against discrimination of women on sexual grounds. Work on the related national legislation and legal framework. Take actions to close the gender pay gap, reduce significant differences between the remuneration for man and women and to apply the principle of equal pay on national as well as sectorial levels;
• Eliminate discrimination in case of maternity leave in public and private sectors. Work on the related national legislation and legal framework;
• Assist member organizations to define gender equality strategies;
• Increase and strengthen womens’ network of GTUC ;
• Implement targeted projects on gender equality;
• Adopt obligatory quota for women within the elective bodies of GTUC;
• Adopt obligatory quota for women’s participation in GTUC activities.

Child Labour

• GTUC shall address its efforts towards eradication of child labour. Within its members and civil society it shall therefore facilitate:
  – Prohibition of child labour in registered organizations as well as family farms/enterprises
  – Maintain relevant policy to ensure increase of child education level, reduction of the school drop outs, setting up of the effective mechanisms for elimination of child labour in the country.

International Relations  

Aiming to secure adoption of international labour standards, create safe and adequate working conditions, intensify cooperation with other countries and international partners, achieve international solidarity, GTUC shall continue:

• Active cooperation with international labour institutions and trade organizations;
• Informing and updating international labour institutions and democratic society on development of labour standards in the country;
• Facilitating on national and international arena ratification of ILO conventions;
• Awarding of bilateral and multiletaral cooperation agreements, undertaking effective measures and activities;
• Participating in international campaigns iniciated by International Confederation of Trade Unions, European Trade Union Confederation and Pan-European Regional Council, as well as by their affiliate regional and national trade unions;
• Through support of ITUC and ETUC as well as employing cooperation frameworks with the EU, ILO and the United States GSP, ensure protection of labour rights in Georgia;
• Promoting best international practices, involving qualified expertize and knowledge, which will further facilitate enhancement of GTUC capacity.

Indicators:

1. Ratification by the Government of Georgia of the Conventions of International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other international treaties and agreements on labour issues.
2. Increased awareness among international community on the developments of labour related issues in the country.

Civil Society and GTUC

GTUC aims to strengthen efforts to increase the role and importance of the trade union movement and achieve civil solidarity in the society, therefore it plans to:

• Continue to lobby European standards regarding labour and social issues under Tripartite Committee on Social Partnership;
• Through cooperation with local advisory group under European Union’s Agreement on Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade and EU-Georgia Association Agreement will further develop trade relations with the EU and facilitate adoption of labour and social standards in Georgia;
• Intensify cooperation with traditional partners within the Eastern Partnership Civil Forum;
• Further proceed with the improvement of vocational education programs through participation in specilized councils of the National Center for Educational Quality Management;
• Monitor the activities of state institutions in terms of their adherence with the principles of the Rule of Law, democracy, publicity, quality of service. Observe relevant state initiatives to undertake public discussions on the above issues;
• Participate in creation of coalitions to safeguard the interests of civil society partners;
• Cooperate with civil sector partners to establish the coalition that will defend the interests of the workers.

Public Relations

Based on the importance of public image of the trade union movement, GTUC will:

• Intensify cooperation with all sources of press and mass media;
• Regularly provide affiliated members and community with relevant news and updates via official webpage and social networks;
• Aiming to constantly keep affiliated members throughout Georgia informed and to intensify interaction with them, it will continue to accurately improve the database of the affiliated members and facilitate access to it;
• By conducting press conferences and deliberate informative campaigns, will regularly deliver updates on the issues of concern in the field of labour;
• Aiming at improving awareness of mass media regarding ongoing processes in trade union movement, will implement trainings and seminars for representatives of mass media on trade union activities and ongoing processes in the trade union movement.

Indicators:  

1. Raise awareness about trade union and promotion of GTUC image.

Solidarity Fund

Solidarity Fund will be established by GTUC. Solidarity Fund shall provide effective support to GTUC and mobilise resources for funding of special occasions, including strikes, certain damages etc. Special committee will be created to establish solidarity fund, determine the sources of funding and define relevant procedures of disbursement. Final decision shall be concluded by the Board of GTUC.

General Indicators for Program Assessment:

1. Increase in the number of trade union affiliated members ( target rate 10% )
2. Increase in the number of workers employed under collective agreements
3. Number of legislative and subordinate normative acts adopted on behalf of GTUC or through its active participation
4. Strengthening efficiency of the labor market in line with international labor standards.

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