Maka Malakmadze, Adjara
Human Rights Center tried to ascertain how much was spent on the wages including the salaries, business trips and bonuses of public officers employed in different public departments of Adjara Autonomous Republic during 2010.
We applied to all public services with the same question regarding the monthly wages. However, several (Adjara Ministry of Finance and Economics, Khelvachauri Municipality and Batumi City Hall) departments did not provide the requested information. They all violated the terms for the issuance of the public information. The responses on the applications submitted on January 17th were received in February. Moreover, we had to remind the Ministry of Finance and Economics of Adjara several times to issue the requested information. We had to wait for more than an hour in the Ministry building to get it when it was finally issued.
According to the Law on the Public Service, the bonus is given in every three months. The law does not determine the amount of the bonus. It is an encouraging and a symbolic award. It is not stated anywhere that it should amount to hundred percent of the salary or more. However, there are cases when the Adjara public officers received the bonus amounting to two hundred percent of the salary. We wanted to know for what significant work Davit Gabaidze the Deputy Minister of Education, Culture and Sport of Adjara received the bonus amounting to two hundred percent of his salary (3900 GEL) in December. The Human Rights Center applied to Gabaidze with this question. “You can ask the Bonus Issuance Commission. I do not know,” – he answered.
Generally, the bonus is given out for a significant work. It is an encouraging award for productive work. The bonus money is given out from the state budget. Thus the public finances the public officer’s welfare. That is why we have to know what we are paying for. However, people do not have this information.
Human Rights Center conducted a small inquiry in the streets of Batumi. To 30 citizens we asked the same question about the salaries and bonuses of Adjara Ministers, mayor and a head of City Council. According to the inquiry, nobody knew that the maximum salary of these public officers would be more than 1 500 GEL. As for the bonus, citizens presumed that it would be less than the salary. One of the pensioners asked: “What did they do to deserve the bonus? What do they do for us? I have been working for years, but the bonus that I get is not enough for the bread.”
Batumi City Council
Last year, Batumi City Council issued 178 995 GEL for 42 people as a bonus, 77220 GEL out of which was given out to the former heads of City Council fractions and committees. The lowest bonus was given to Davit Robakidze from the Labor Party, Kartlos Makharadze and Nugzar Chkheidze received the highest 5 290 GEL.
The head of Batumi City Council Giorgi Kirtadze has received 10 630 GEL as a bonus; his assistant Jumber Kakhidze – 10 430 GEL. It is interesting that the Bonus Issuance Commission of Batumi City Council was headed by Jumber Kakhidze – the assistant of the head of the Council.
As for the salaries, the salary of the head of Batumi City Council was 2500 GEL in January and February of 2010 and 2750 GEL starting from March. The salary of his assistant was 1540 GEL at first. Then it increased up to 2150 GEL.
The money spent on the business trips amounts to 31 663 GEL. Except for business trips in Tbilisi and Kutaisi this number includes 6 visits to Ukraine, two visits to Turkey and a visit to Italy by four-member group including the head of the City Council.
Batumi City Hall
The head of Batumi City Hall administration Gela Makharadze despite our request provided general information instead of individual data on Batumi mayor and his assistants. According to the received information, Batumi City Hall gave out 796 080 GEL as a material encouragement in 2010. However, when we summed up the numbers provided by the City Hall, it amounted to 1 190 987 GEL.
The money given out for the salaries amounted to 2 567 096 GEL. The sum of the salaries and bonuses given out by Batumi City Hall last year amounts to 3 758 083 GEL.
The business trip expenses of Batumi City Hall public officers amounted to 69 861 GEL. The City Hall officials 202 times went on the business trip during 2010, but for some reason the information on the expenses of each business trip was not provided.
6 290 GEL was spent on the salaries of Batumi mayor and his assistants. As a result of the increase of salaries every month, at the end of the year, the money paid as their salaries reached 12 881 GEL.
The Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Adjara
This Ministry issues bonuses to 60 officials last year. This money amounted to 225 507 GEL. The Minister Levan Antadze received 12 033 GEL, his first deputy Jambul Surmanidze – 11 378 GEL. Their bonuses for the months of June and December exceed their salaries.
The bonuses given out to three other deputies of Levan Antadze amount to 8 478 GEL. Their salary is 1 950 GEL. The bonus is given out four times a year. In this case they have received 678 GEL more than the amount of hundred percent of their salary.
As for the salary of the Minister, it is 2 720 GEL. The Minister has received 1 153 GEL more than the hundred percent of his salary. The salary of his first deputy is 2 130 GEL thus his bonus is 2 858 GEL more than his salary multiplied by four.
Adjara Ministry of Health and Social Protection spent 16 954 GEL on business trips last year.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Adjara
Last year 35 officials of the following Ministry received 167 954 GEL as a bonus. The Minister Emzar Dzirkvadze received 17 175 GEL, his first deputy Soso Turmanidze – 13 610 GEL.
According to the data of 2010, except for the first deputy, Adjara Minister of Agriculture has three other deputies, three assistants and two advisers. The salary of each of his deputies is 1950 GEL and 885 GEL – for his assistants and advisers. The bonuses given out to them differ. The lowest is 1870 GEL, the highest – 12 837 GEL issued to the Deputy Minister Tatia Khubulava.
The monthly wages of the Ministry officials is 35 070 GEL in sum. The salaries of the Minister, First Deputy Minister and other deputies are like other Ministries. The minister receives 2 720 GEL, his first deputy – 2 130 GEL, other deputies – 1950 GEL.
The Ministry officials spent 16 304 GEL on business trips. The business trips took place in Belarus, Germany, Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania and different Adjara regions.
Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Adjara Autonomous Republic
In 2010, the Ministry gave bonuses to 58 employees that amounted to 172 515 GEL in total. Among them are employees who received 150, 170 and 200 % of their salaries as bonuses. For example, in December 2010 the deputy minister Temur Gabaidze received 3 900 GEL - 200% of his salary (1 950 GEL) as a bonus. By the way, in December, minister and his deputies received bonuses – more than 100% of their monthly salaries.
In total, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport paid 12 784 GEL to the minister. The deputy ministers Irakli Baramidze and Lamzira Bolkvadze received 8 733 GEL. The minister has four deputies and three assistants. Their monthly salary is 885 GEL.
The Ministry spent 18 968 GEL on business trips in 2010.
The Ministry of Finances and Economics of Adjara Autonomous Republic
The Ministry sent the copies of only 282 decrees on business-leaves. However, this is not complete information either because we were not informed how much money was spent on each business-trip.
The ministry did not release information about the amount of monthly salaries of the minister and his deputies; what bonuses were paid to them quarterly. The only information they released was the yearly salary and bonus of the Minister Vazha Bolkvadze that amounted to 50 403 GEL in total.
Khelvachauri District Administration
Khelvachauri district administration sent us resolution # 37 (August 3, 2010) of the municipal board based on which the monthly salary of the district governor is 2 360 GEL and salary of the deputy governor is 900 GEL.
The administration has paid 1 117 065 GEL as a salary for 187 employees. We do not know how much bonuses were paid to them because despite our request they did not release the public information on us. We do not know the amount of the funds spent on business-trips either.
Khelvachauri Municipal Board
Last year, 25 employees of the municipal board received total 50 152 GEL as bonuses. Among them, former chairman of the municipal board (Roin Malakmadze) and acting chairman (Malkhaz Partenadze) received 10 148 GEL as bonus both.
The monthly salary of the chairman of the municipal board is 2 360 GEL; deputy chairman receives 1 100 GEL per month. Last year, Khelvachauri district administration spent 5 380 GEL on business-trips.
Kobuleti Municipal Board
23 employees of the municipal board received 59 700 GEL as bonus throughout the year. Former chairman Sulkhan Takidze and acting chairman Niko Beradze received bonus of 11 800 GEL both.
The monthly salary of the board chairman is 2 360 GEL and deputy chairman receives 1 100 GEL per month. Kobuleti municipal board spent 2 738 GEL on business trips last year.
Kobuleti Municipality City Council
59 700 GEL has been given out on 23 officials of the City Council as a bonus. The former and a current head of the city (Sulkhan Takidze and Niko Beradze) council have received 11 800 GEL in sum.
The salary of the head of the City Council has been 2 360 GEL during the whole year just like the salary of Khelvachauri municipality City Council. The salary of the deputy is 1 100 GEL. 2 738 GEL has been spend on the business trips by the City Council last year.
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