Series of Willful Quitting of Jobs in Adjara Region

Maka Malakmadze, Adjara

On July 25th the Minister of Labor, Health and Social Protection of Adjara submitted written request to quit job. The head of Adjara government Levan Varshalomidze satisfied his request.

78 employees of Kobuleti municipality also quit jobs willfully. Giorgi Shervashidze the head of Batumi City hall Service of Inspection did as well.

Human Rights Center contacted the former Minister of Health and Social Protection of Adjara. Antadze just made a short comment: “I am not giving comments on this issue.”

The head of Public Relations Service of Adjara Government Mirian Lebanidze stated that Levan Antadze’s request to quit job is satisfied: “He submitted written request to quit job yesterday and Adjara head of government satisfied it. In several days we will decide on the new candidate.” There is no information regarding the representative of the Ministry at www.adjara.gov.ge.

Levan Antadze has received 12 033 GEL as a bonus throughout 2010. His bonuses exceeded 100% of his salary in June and December. The bonuses were by 1153 GEL more than his salary 2 720 GEL.

Levan Antadze was appointed to the post of Health Minister in 2008. He performed the duties of Head of Batumi Public Health Center in 2005-2006, during 2006-2007 – the head of Batumi Health and Social Service of Batumi City Hall, during 2007-2008 – general director of Batumi Water.

The employees of Kobuleti local government, heads of the services and assistants of Governor quit jobs on the basis of their requests. All 78 employees of the department wrote the request simultaneously. The signboards indicating the names of the head of the service has been taken down. Several rooms have been closed. The employees state that they were made to write the complaints and the decision was made by the members of local government and Adjara government. They are expecting to be restored by them.

“We were asked to write the complaint at this stage. They told us that they would restore us later,” – stated one of the employees who did not wish to say his name not to lose the opportunity to be restored on the job.

According to the Kobuleti municipality Governor Aslan Kurshubadze, not everybody has been dismissed from the job: “we will make certain offers regarding different jobs.”

The former head of Batumi City Hall Inspection Service Giorgi Shervashidze quit job on the basis of his own request on July 15th. He does not talk about the reasons either.

Earlier, on July 12th the former head of Batumi City Hall Public Service Jemal Khimshiashvili and the chief specialist of the same service Tengiz Khutsishvili were detained by the investigation services of Georgian Ministry of Finance due to the fact of taking bribe.

Jemal Khimshiashvili is charged with taking bribe of 7 700 GEL. The offence concerns taking bribe from the company which won in the tender announced by the Public Service regarding the construction of kerbs. In case the offence is asserted, he will face 6 to 9 years imprisonment.