Governor Orders Large Scale Job Reduction

In December 2006, new people were employed at village and district administrative boards, at town Municipalities. According to lawyers, the process of employment was hand in hand with the process of violating the law. However, the violations did not make the Kakheti Region Governor furious. He only became upset when learning about many of the employees in above-mentioned offices.

“Municipality Gamgebelis (governors) and chairmen of the village administrative boards held meetings for new employees. At the meeting they demanded the new staff to write resignations. The people who obeyed the order and wrote resignation left their jobs peacefully and their bosses employed them at other jobs. Those who did not resign will remain in their positions for three months and then will be fired.  It is strange that the authorities announced competitions for so many vacancies but in reality didn’t actually need to fill so many positions. The reason was to follow the slogan of the Rose Revolution-we will employ people,” said representatives of the club for Kakheti based non-governmental organizations.

For example, at the Gurjaani Municipality and the Administrative Board new employees were hired without any competitions. Authorities at the administrative board of the Gurjaani Municipality that they did not breach the law for not holding a competition. “We appointed decent people to various positions. It was not necessary to carry out a public competition. Everybody was hired for an experimental three month test period and those who did not meet our demands will be fired,” said Ramaz Kerechashvili, Gamgebeli.

Representatives of the Sighnaghi district Administrative board are not denying that the order to reduce the number of employees was made by the officials from higher instances. The higher instance was the Kakheti regional Administration.

“I ordered the village and district administrations to reduce the personnel; it was not ordered by the state chancellery. For example, Telavi District Municipality has 15 employees and the Administrative Board has 84 employees. 22 people are employed at the Akhmeta Municipality and 71-in the Administration. Sagarejo Municipality has 17 employees and the administration has 94. The same is the situation in Lagodekhi, and Gurjaani, where the most number of employees are hired, as well as in other districts. I think it is disturbing,” said Gia Natsvlishvili, the President’s Representative to the Kakheti Region.

-Mr. Gia, can you explain us, why is it disturbing?

-Most of the budget is apportioned to pay for salaries. In fact, many people simply have nothing to do. Thus, I don’t think so many people should be employed at the Municipalities and administrative boards. I repeat once more, many of them don’t do anything and are getting salaries for nothing. It should also be pointed out that the above-mentioned bodies have employed some people according to temporary labor contracts. It is a trick of the chairmen of the municipalities and the gamgebelis, which I will not let them get away with.

-What will you say regarding the fact that there are similar service departments at the municipalities and administrative boards?

-Consequently, the chairmen and gemgebelis cannot understand which the legislative is and which the executive authority is. I firmly demand the immediate reduction of the personnel once more. It will be possible to do much more for the village if we don’t have to pay people who don’t work. In some villages people are dying from lack of food and water. In addition, each municipality has more than twenty people employed. Why does it need so many?”

Reduction process has already finished at the Lagodekhi Municipality. “It is very painful to reduce employees. However, now the number of the employees at the Municipality is quite acceptable and things are running more efficiently,” said Gia Tsverava, the chairman of the Lagodekhi Municipality.

Currently, the heads of other district Municipalities have enacted the orders of the regional governor. At the Gurjaani Municipality they have increased the number of employees instead of reduced them. The chairman of the Municipality, who had a deputy, hired an assistant for him from his native village of Kolagi, Zurab Mindorashvili.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti