European Trade Union Committee for Education

The Educators and Scientists Free Trade Union of Georgia, ESFTUG, ETUCE member organisation in Georgia, announced that starting from 16 June 2017 all public school teachers are entitled to sick-leave compensation amounting to full salary.

The education trade union reported that public school teachers’ sick leave, including benefits, to which  teachers were entitled too, had not been compensated on their full salaries, notwithstanding the fact that it had been prescribed by the law since 2010. ESFTUG informed that the amendments had not been introduced in by-laws in order to regulate the norms of  teachers’ sick leave. In addition, the notion of the public school teachers’ full compensation was not stipulated in any regulations.

Moreover, the majority of school leaders in Georgia tended to exploit loopholes created by the adoption of a decree 87/N on “Rules for appointment and provision of aid for temporary incapacity for work” by  the Minister of Labour, Health, and Social Affairs of Georgia which contradicted the decree adopted by the Ministry of Education and allowed them to practice unpaid sick leave.

In October 2013, the Georgian Ministry of Education and Science issued a decree to stipulate the notion of the full salary for teachers.

Following the re-establishment of social dialogue with the Georgian Ministry of Education and Science and the Sectoral Agreement signed on 16 March 2017, the Minister of Education and Science introduced amendments to the decree of the Minister of Labour, Health, and Social Affairs of Georgia in favour of teachers that obliges all school leaders to comply with it.