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Over Half Million Lari Spent on Bonuses from Gori District Budget

January 24, 2014
Lado Bichashvili, Shida Kartli

In December, 2013 Gori district administration and municipal board paid two bonuses to their employees. First, the employees received bonuses (half amount of their salaries) on December 10, and then on December 23 they received bonuses (full amount of monthly salaries). 327 540 lari was spent from the district budget on the bonuses in December, 2013.

Chairman of the municipal board Davit Razmadze signed the decree on paying bonuses to public servants. The decision was agreed with the interim district governor Papuna Koberidze. Board chair and district governor received two bonuses throughout the year in December.

On December 10, Papuna Koberidze received 1325 lari as bonus together with his monthly salary – 2 650 lari; on December 23, he received another bonus – 2 350 lari; finally, Koberidze received 6 325 lari in December, 2013.

Board chair Davit Razmadze received bonus of 1 325 lari on December 10; then he received 2 650 lari on December 23. His monthly salary is 2 650 lari and in December, 2013 his total income was 6 625 lari.

Davit Razmadze, chairman of Gori Municipal Board: “Papuna Koberlidze and I had not received any bonus throughout the year because we believed we did not deserve it. However, when we implemented requirements of all articles of the district budget, when all infrastructural projects finished and new projects started, we allowed ourselves to get bonuses. One bonus was paid for the New Year Holiday and second for the Christmas Holiday. Personally I am against giving bonuses to every employee because it is prize for good work; however we still work under old momentum.”

Human Rights Center requested public information about distributed bonuses and it lists names of the chairpersons of opposition fractions too. 

On December 10, chairman of the fraction United National Movement Zviad Khmaladze received bonus of 675 lari and on December 23, 1 350 lari; in addition to that he received his monthly salary 1 350 lari; Khmaladze’s total income in December was 3 375 lari. Zviad Khmaladze received five bonuses throughout 2013 – twice in December, on April 30 he received 600 lari as bonus; on August 21, he received bonus of 675 lari; the chairman of the Municipal Board gave the fifth bonus to him on November 19.

Zviad Khmaladze, chairman of the fraction Nationals: “bonus is usual operation and it is bad if you do not receive it. When I was chairman of the municipal board, certain people complained about it but I cannot see anything bad in it.”

Zurab Rosebashvili, deputy chairman of the Gori municipal board, who is also chairman of the district organization of the Christian Democratic Movement, also received bonuses: on December 10, he received bonus of 875 lari and on December 23 – 1 700 lari. His monthly salary is 1 700 lari. So, in December 2013 Rosebashvili received 4 275 lari from district budget. Rosebashvili received three more bonuses in 2013 – on April 30 – 900 lari; on August 21 – 850 lari and on November 19 – 850 lari. 

Zurab Rosebashvili told humanrights.ge that in December he received 13th salary: “This year we received less bonuses because in the past we received bonuses almost every month. Personally I received twice more bonuses throughout the year than in 2013. In December, they gave two bonuses to us – one half of our salaries and then 13th salary.”

Last year, on May 17, on the International Day of Firemen, employees of Fire Service subordinated to the district administration, received 100 lari as bonuses in addition to their monthly salaries; total sum spent on the firemen’s bonuses was 6 500 lari.

On March 6, 2013, for the International Day of Women March 8, female employees of the district administration and municipal board received bonuses of 125 lari; total sum spent on their bonuses was 16 875 lari.

Next bonuses were paid for the St. George’s Day – on November 21, total 96 606 lari was spent on the bonuses of the employees of the district local self-governmental bodies.

For the celebration of Gori Holiday employees of the district administration, who participated in the organization of the event, received bonuses on which 8 875 lari was spent from the district budget.

District administration employees received bonuses on May 1, 2013 too but it was not associated with any holiday or any merit of the employees in the decree. 174 830 lari was spent on the bonuses from the district budget.

91 911 lari was allocated for bonuses on August 21.

On April 30, 23 360 lari was spent on the bonuses of the employees of the municipal board; on August 21, 15 945 lari was allocated for the same purpose; on October 17, 3 185 lari and on March 4 - 1 875 lari.

All in all, 784 151 lari was spent on the bonuses of the employees of the Gori district administration and municipal board throughout 2013. 

Representatives of the nongovernmental organizations have been requesting senior officials of the public agencies to verify motives of giving bonuses to the employees in their orders but all in vain.

Chairperson of the Gori office of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association Keti Bebiashvili: “Bonus is general form of encouragement. It is issue of disciplinary regulation when employer encourages employee for the well done job. However, decisions on granting bonuses to all employees are not verified. Holidays cannot justify distribution of bonuses because the law does not regulate it. The law does not envisage the thirteenth salary either. We and many other CSOs have been requesting to regulate distribution of bonuses in public agencies. It should be clarified in the orders because the law clearly states that bonus is form of encouragement and not extra-salary. Bonus-payment shall be well justified but it does not happen now.”

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