Page 18 - GEORptMar20

4.4 ​Labour and income
4.4.1​ Unemployment, income dynamics
Impunity for law enforcement officials and lax labour regulation in Georgia raised by HRW Report 2020
Wages in Georgia up real 2.4% y/y in Q2
Impunity for law enforcement officials accused of abuse remains a persistent problem in Georgia, according to the Human Rights Watch Report 2020. ​Lax regulations and resultant labour practices that undermine workers’ safety is another issue in the country outlined by the report.
The situation with law enforcement officials was illustrated by the June 20-21 events in Tbilisi last year in which police brutally cracked down on protests outside the parliament building, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. One-sided investigations subsequently mainly focused on the deeds of protesters, according to the report authors. A strike at manganese mines in Georgia, operated by Chinese investors, demonstrated problems raised with regulations and labour practices, they added.
“Authorities pursued largely one-sided accountability [after the Tbilisi events]. They launched a mass riot investigation, charging at least 19 protesters, 15 of whom remained in pretrial custody at the time of writing. The prosecutor’s office designated 67 police officers and only four civilians as victims, depriving many of the injured protesters the opportunity to review investigation files. [...] Meanwhile, the prosecutor’s office charged three police officers with exceeding their powers and assaulting a detained protester; courts released all three on bail,” according to the report.
HRW accused authorities of having twice postponed the launching of a state inspector’s office. It was formulated in 2018 to investigate abuses committed by law enforcement and other public officials, but it has not yet taken the form of what was promised, with officials citing a lack of financing. The report said it had failed to deliver results.
The body became operational on November 1. By September, the Ombudsman’s Office had received 54 complaints of ill-treatment by prison staff or police and had petitioned the prosecutor’s office to launch investigations in 52 cases. None had resulted in criminal prosecution.
HRW also concluded that Georgian labour law does not sufficiently regulate working hours, rest time, weekly breaks and night work, and does not provide for government oversight of all labour conditions.
Lax regulations and consequent labour practices often prioritise production targets that undermine workers’ safety, HRW said.
For example, the cited manganese mines work 12-hour shifts underground, including at night, for 15 straight days, resulting in exhaustion and the increasing the likelihood of workplace accidents and injuries, according to the report. In May, some 2,500 miners from some of the mines went on strike for 12 days, demanding better working conditions and a pay rise.
The average wage in Georgia increased by 6.9% y/y to Georgian lari (GEL) 1,180 ($400) in Q2.​ Growth was, however, only 2.4% y/y in real terms. The income discrepancies in Georgia are wide in terms of size and growth and
18​ GEORGIA Country Report​ March 2020 ​​www.intellinews.com