On February 1, 2022 under the “Engaging Workers and Civil Society to Strengthen Labor Law Enforcement”* project, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) held a hybrid event where 8 Georgian business associations presented their project outcomes implemented under the CIPE’s small grants program in 2021. The Georgian Employers Association hosted the event.
Last year, the Center for International Private Enterprise partnered with the following associations in Georgia: Georgian Employers Association, Infrastructure Construction Companies Association, Georgian Farmers Association, Retail Association, Georgian Waste Management Association, Institutional and Capacity Development Center, Association of Law Firms of Georgia, and Confederation of Safety and Health Organizations.
Under the aforesaid grant, the associations trained their member companies to raise private sector’s awareness on labor rights and occupational safety and health (OSH). Therefore, the goal of the small grants program was to assist businesses to comply with the requirements which are laid down in the updated Labor Code of Georgia and OSH laws.
In different regions of Georgia, the associations trained a total of 467 business representatives coming from construction, agriculture, waste management, service, and other sectors.
During the event, the business associations had an opportunity to share the outcomes of their projects with Raisa Liparteliani, Vice President of the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation. Therefore, the private sector representatives were able to engage in a social dialogue with the representative of workers. The parties discussed the common challenges related to effective execution of existing labor legislation and they expressed their readiness to continue social dialogue. The event was moderated by CIPE Private Sector Engagement Advisor Mariam Kuchuloria.
During the event, the representatives of the business associations raised different problematic issues which will be discussed with trade union and State representatives in the future.
*Funding for this project is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-32531-18-75 K, through a sub-award from the Solidarity Center. 100% of the total costs of the project or program is financed with federal funds, for a total of $580,000. This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.
