Lawyer, Zakaria Kutsnashvili, blames the director of the Tbilisi First Experimental School for sacking his mother, Taliko Lagazauri, on political grounds.
Zakaria Kutsnashvili said Taliko Lagazauri, who had worked as a teacher for 22 years, was fired only because she is his mother.
According to Kutsnashvili, representative of the defendant said the motive of her dismissal was optimization of working hours. However, as they found out the working hours were neither reduced nor annulled. Those 18 working hours, which Taliko Lagazauri worked at school, were shared by various teachers at school.
Kutsnashvili said they used optimization of working hours as a motive of his mother’s dismissal only at the Trial. Before that, the school administration did not mention any other grounds in their decision. The lawyer said Article 37 – “d” of the Labor Code of Georgia does not require an employer to give a reason for his/her decision to fire an employee.
Kutsnashvili said it is illegal to fire Taliko Lagazauri based on the mentioned motive. He said the Law on General Education allows a school director to fire a teacher only in three cases – if a teacher behaves improperly, if a teacher makes disciplinary mistake, or if his/her qualification does not meet the occupied position.
Kutsnashvili said his mother satisfied all abovementioned criteria; she is perfect teacher.
The labor contract with Taliko Lagazauri was due to expire in two years. The contract was signed on February 1, 2011 and was valid until September 1, 2013. The decision by the school administration was appealed at the Tbilisi City Court but it was not overturned.
Kutsnashvili intends to lodge suit at the Appeal Court.
IPN