The head of the newly founded non-governmental organization “Georgian Education Workers Union” Tamar Tsanava spread the letter to public schools regarding the so-called “illegal” functioning of the Educators and Scientists Free Trade Union of Georgia (ESFTUG). Her letter is limited to such unqualified and so-called legal explanations that we did not consider it appropriate to provide explanations. Unfortunately, there are only a few schools that have begun to discuss this letter with teachers. We were forced to make a brief explanation:
The ESFTUG operates in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution of Georgia, the laws of Georgia: “Labor Code”, “Civil Code”, “Trade Unions” and the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) conventions ratified by the Parliament of Georgia.
The statute of the ESFTUG is registered after passing the legal examination, in strict compliance with the current legislation at the National Agency of Public Registry of Georgia.
The ESFTUG is a member of the World organization of Education Trade Unions - "Education International" (EI) and at the European level, a member of the European Trade Union of Committee for Education (ETUCE).
The ESFTUG actively participates in the work of the EI and ETUCE in the decision-making process.
The ESFTUG is a partner and closely cooperates with the education unions in Europe and the USA. This is clearly confirmed by the fact that in July and August 2024, we participated in the work of the World Congress of the Education International, with three delegates and three observers, and attended the Convention of the AFT ( Teachers' Trade Union in the USA), as a member of the international delegation.
To date, neither our partners in US nor the international trade union bodies have questioned the inconsistency of the functioning of the ESFTUG with the current legislation and international norms. As for the ESFTUG statute, as I have already mentioned, it is in full compliance with the current legislation and international standards.
We advise interested schools to compare our statute with the charter of the newly established organization - the "Georgian Education Workers’ Union" and they will clearly see that their charter is copied from our charter. The natural question is: if our statute is so flawed, then why did they transfer it to their charter?
As for the discussion of the legal term “agreement” by the newly established NGO and its criticism of the legal agreements concluded between the Georgian State Educational Service and general education schools, between the Georgian State Educational Service and the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth, to put it mildly, such an approach is nonsense. We have collective agreements concluded with the Georgian Educational schools and we cooperate with the Ministry of Education on the basis of a sectoral agreement, which is a legal form of cooperation between the employer and the trade union protecting the rights of employees.
The “clarifications” mentioned in the letters of the aforementioned NGO are offensive not only to us, but also to the Ministry of Education and those institutions with which we interact through agreements and written agreements.
The accusation that, according to the collective agreements signed with schools, we protect only the rights of members and that non-member teachers are in discriminatory conditions is devoid of any legal basis, absurd and biased. For your information, the legislative amendments adopted on the initiative of the ESFTUG apply to all working teachers.
And, about one more thing: we are curious about why the non-governmental organization “Union of Education Workers of Georgia” was created?! Based on the name, they should protect the rights of teachers, but in reality, they are fighting only against the trade union as an institution and, in particular, the ESFTUG?!
Without further ado, such an attitude towards a 40-thousand-member trade union by a newly established non-governmental organization is devoid of morality! Unfounded, insulting criticism is immoral and unethical! Is this how they intend to protect teachers' rights? We will refrain from making other assessments.