Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi
The number of teachers is drastically reduced at schools. Reportedly, teachers with less than 18 working hours will be dismissed from schools. The ministry of education denies the information and blames the Independent Trade Union of Teachers in spreading similar disinformation. This organization has been under serious oppression recently. What is going on in fact? How does the information reflect the reality and what measures is the Trade Union going to take? – The Human Rights Center asked the questions to the chairwoman of the Kutaisi office of the Independent Trade Union of Teachers and Scientists, Lia Ratiani.
-It was reported that the minister of education met the directors of the district education resource-centers and ordered to rearrange personnel at schools. They even said that the process has already started.
-Minister of education met the directors of the resource-centers and then the directors of the resource-centers met school directors. At those meetings the directors of the resource-centers stated that teachers with less than 18 working hours will not remain at schools. They focused on retired teachers and working hours. Of course, the school directors were told that they had to inform the teachers about the initiative. Several directors announced everything openly while others hid the information to see the reaction of teachers. It is natural that the information was soon spread and caused serious discontent. Every director had to meet the minister with his/her working hours and personnel time-tables. The directors are under serious oppression. The resource-centers make them act against teachers.
-What is happening in Kutaisi? You said that a director of one of the resource-centers is particularly active in this direction.
-Head of the Kutaisi resource-center invites school directors and introduces the changes into the personnel time-table himself. He dismisses the teachers with few working hours and tells the directors that the minister will not approve their time-table, etc. The worst thing is that the minister has not released official decree about it; he gives oral orders. He knows that similar orders contradict the law. He does not breach the law and compels the school directors to do the dirty job. I want to tell you that this story will not finish peacefully. Mass protest will definitely follow it. It does not happen only in Kutaisi. The situation is similar in the entire Georgia.
-The minister denies the information and claims the Trade Union spread disinformation.
-Where could the Trade Union learn the information if not from the teachers and school directors? The teachers call us and inquire what is going on. We called directors. When the directors had final meeting with the minister our representatives also attended it. The minister ordered them not to blame him because he is not dismissing anybody. He told them to be strong managers and prove that they need so many teachers with few working hours at schools. Many questions were raised at the meeting. A teacher from the mountainous Adjara region asked: “I have three pupils with epilepsy at school and I need a nurse. What should I do?” The minister categorically refused him to have the nurse at school saying the education ministry cannot fund the school nurse; it is within the competence of the health ministry. Besides that, they spoke about a school librarian, a psychologist, a lab assistant, etc. How can we speak about priority of education when there is similar situation at schools? I cannot imagine a school without a nurse or a librarian.
-Nevertheless, they will have bailiffs with huge salaries.
-We can have bailiffs in the city schools where incidents happen very often but we do not need bailiffs in the rest of Georgia where similar incidents never occur. A bailiff is a boy or a girl of 25-26, so how can s/he assist a school-pupil? What can s/he do at school? The minister also said that bailiffs will work as nurses too. Reportedly they have taken some corresponding trainings in medical field. It is shameful that a teacher does not get even the half of bailiff’s salary (800 GEL) who has much more experience of working at school. By the way, one professional teacher applied for the vacancy of the bailiff and she failed. So we have questions about all these and we should receive answers for them.
-The Independent Trade Union of Teachers has been under oppression recently. People say the teachers are compelled to leave your organization.
-The Independent Trade Union of Teachers is the only organization which will always protect the rights of teachers. Today, they do not need similar organization in Georgia. We have made the government retreat in many issues. For example, 48-day-long vacations, permanent labor agreements, training vouchers for teachers, medical insurance. All these were results of serious struggle. Today, they openly fight against our organization. Teachers are compelled not to pay membership payments. The minister is doing it but he claims that he is right and does not influence anybody. It is double-game and the public official is doing it. The minister’s position is the following – the independent trade union should not exist and we should have a “syndicate”. The head of the Syndicate Taras Shavishvili directly told the directors during the last meeting of the minister and the directors: “We will recommend you to reduce teachers. The purpose of the Trade Union, which suggests the directors to fire teachers, is quite clear. It is a yellow trade union which will never be recognized by international organizations.
-Is it true that teachers are compelled to join “syndicate”?
-They compel the school directors to make the teachers join the syndicate. Two days ago, representative of the Kutaisi resource-center Zviad Gorgodze called at a school and categorically inquired about the number of the teachers who had joined the syndicate. Many directors said they cannot endure the oppression and are ready to resign. “Syndicate” is an organization specially designed by the Liberty Institute which is less concerned about the teachers’ interests.
-So it is the organization which works in favor of the government, is not it?
-I do not know whether they support the government or not, but one thing I definitely know –it supports the minister of education. It is the trade union whose director directly tells the minister that teachers with few working hours shall be fired and we would assist you in it. What is going on in Georgia now is discrimination against teachers and it finally aims to close public schools.
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