Lanchkhuti Culture Center No Longer Has Money to Pay Salaries of Employees

Nino Mshvidobadze, Guria 

Lanchkhuti district culture center is non-profit legal entity and is funded from local budget. Sopo Chelidze has been its director since 2003 Rose Revolution. 

In 2012, the center’s budget was 291 000 lari; in 2013 the budget will be a bit reduced and as the chairman of the financial-budget commission at the municipal board Paata Pirtskhalaishvili said, it will amount to 270 000 lari.

Information about ceased labor contracts with the culture center’s personnel was spread short time ago. Humanrights.ge found out that contracts were due to January 1, 2013. As a rule, employees should not have had problems because their salaries were completely envisaged in the budget.

Besides that, a respondent informed humanrights.ge that some employees work on two places at the Culture Center; director Sopiko Chelidze is one of them. According to the source, despite huge funding of the center, rehearsal hall has not been renovated and it is still heated by stove. The respondent also said that director has registered so-called dead people in the folk workshop and salary funds are spent on them too.

In order to find out the situation we initially met director of the Culture Center Sopo Chelidze. She said: “We ceased contracts with singing companies and dismissed them for one month because we do not plan any concerts with their participation.”

-According to my information, their labor contracts were valid till January 1, 2013. Why did you cease them in the middle of November? 

-Contract form envisaged similar procedures and labor code also regulates this fact. Contracts were dropped with companies Atsaura, Mkhedrebi, Supsa Company and several employees too who do not participate in New Year events.

-So, you dropped contracts with the people, who do not participate in the New Year concert? And after this concert will you renew contracts with them?

-Yes, their contracts were ceased because we do not need them at this moment; but we will sign new contracts with them in a month. Although our next year budget was reduced, it was not significant damage for us. Salaries of those people will be envisaged in the next year budget.

-Do you confirm information that several employees of the Culture Center are registered on two working places and get double salaries?

-Yes it is true; I am head of quartet and received salary for this position too but now it is stopped. Some other employees also get double salaries because they work on two positions – it is legal process. According to labor contracts, employees of the Culture Center are either bandmaster or leader of drum-circle. Those labor contracts rely on their professionalism. 

-How many people work in the folk workshop?

-Our employees work there based on contracts. For example, bandmaster of the company Mkhedrebi is Avtandil Makharadze, who is also teacher of a workshop; he receives two salaries.

-We were told that so-called dead people are registered in that workshop and salaries are allocated for them…

-No it is not true. Do we have election lists here to have dead people in them?! Somebody is serious enemy of mine.

-Is rehearsal hall renovated in the center and is it heated in winter?

-I cannot say that it is perfectly renovated but people can hold rehearsals there. Unfortunately, many rooms need renovation in this building. Rehearsal room is heated with stove and nobody complains about it.

We asked member of the local office of the Georgian Dream Roman Bitsadze to comment on the issue.

-Mr. Roman, do you think it is legal when one person works on two working places in one organization and receives two salaries? I mean culture center in this particular case.

-Culture Center is non-profit legal entity and it is not public agency. So, a person working in the administration might work on other position too. The law does not restrict similar facts in non-profit legal entity. Another point is moral side – when so many people are unemployed and one person works on two places it might not be justified of course. However, if this person cannot be replaced, for example bandmaster and choreograph, there is nothing to argue about. 

-Labor contracts with several people at the Culture Center were dropped earlier in term; contracts were valid before January 1, 2013. The director of the center explained that those people do not participate in the New Year’s concerts and their contracts will be renewed in a month…

-Unfortunately, current labor code does not envisage interests of employees and administration can find thousands reasons to fire them. As for New Year’s events where those people do not participate, I think it is a bit strange. Did not they know that they would not need those people for New Year concerts when singing contracts with them? Nonprofit organizations usually have agenda of whole year activities? They should definitely have known about their New Year plans at least in the middle of the year. 

-Salaries of those people were allocated in the budget before January 2013…

-It is suspicious. Those people had to receive salaries including December, 2012. Now, their contracts were ceased suddenly. It would be better if they admit that those people were employed before elections just for their PR and now they do not have enough funds.

-We are not speaking about one or two people; I mean music companies…

-Funding of companies is another interesting detail. I think, they should have created program budget and the Center should have been able to pay salaries to any company member. Now, telling people that “they no longer need them” is awkward. Unfortunately, it is neo-communist approach to the issue.