New constitution has no clause on labor supervision

Georgia will not have a labor supervision authority. The ruling Georgian Dream Party refused to take into account the non-governmental sector’s initiative, which envisioned adding a special clause to the constitution, making the government responsible to create a labor supervision authority. This clause was not included in the latest version of the draft changes.

“The authorities places the responsibility for this decision on the government’s economic team,” said legal expert Vakhushti Menabde, who is a member of the state constitutional commission.

Apart from non-government organizations, the public defender was also calling on the government for creating a labor supervision authority and adding a relevant clause to the constitution.

The statistic demonstrates the need for having such an authority. According to the Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC), in Georgia, between 2011 and 2015, as many as 691 people were injured at work and  212 died.

Until 2006, the labor inspectorate was responsible for controlling safety guidelines and standards at workplaces. After the changes made to the labor code, the labor inspectorate was abolished.

Currently, Georgia plans to make changes to the state constitution. The state constitutional commission is responsible for drafting the changes, which will be submitted to the parliament for consideration by late April.