Protests in the city of Rustavi, western Georgia, against layoffs at the nearby Azoti plant, 1 February.
At the beginning of this month, the Georgian Public Broadcaster announced a plan to reorganise itself; the plan was consumer-oriented and would mean cuts in the broadcaster’s staff. Job cuts have also been announced in a number of other public sector institutions. On top of this, the government is displaying complete apathy towards ill-treatment and forceful dismissals of employees in the private sector.
To present itself at the vanguard of creating a “business-friendly environment”, the Georgian government sees no problem with soaring unemployment rates or causing employment to be even more conducive to labour exploitation. But for the people currently demonstrating on the streets, it is unacceptable that plans for growth and development come at the expense of public sector employment and workers’ rights.
