ISFED- About 2 000 People Dismissed from Local Self-Governmental Agencies

www.isfed.ge 

International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) studied ongoing personnel changes in the local self-governmental institutions after parliamentary elections of 2012. According to the public data collected from all municipalities of Georgia, 1790 employees were fired from local governmental agencies from October 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013. The personnel reduction took place in 54 district administrations and 25 municipal boards out of total 69 districts.

Attorneys of village territorial entities were massively fired from jobs; before dismissal they had meetings with the district governors. In total, 418 attorneys were sacked in 34 districts.

Personnel reduction happened in the kindergartens of 10 municipalities too. Mostly, the heads of Unions of Kindergartens were changed. Mass personnel dismissal was observed in Akhmeta district where 205 people lost jobs because of optimization. According to the ISFED, members of the Georgian Dream were recruited for part-time jobs in Kaspi district kindergartens; salaries of old personnel were half-reduced.

Majority of fired people wrote resignation applications based on their personal decision. In some cases, dozens of dismissed employees filed resignation applications on the same day so we have logic doubt about voluntary decision to quit job. In some cases, former public servants confirm that senior officials had requested them to resign but refrained to publicly declare it. Part of former public servants explained their dismissal by the changed government and political situation in the country. As for recruitment of new personnel, political affiliation was detected in this process in 18 municipalities–mostly activists and supporters of the Georgian Dream were recruited.

The terms for the release of public information were not breached in any municipalities and self-governing cities. All of them responded to the ISFED’s request except Kareli district where interim district Governor Ivane Osadze did not release information about people resigned based on their personal applications.

ISFED negatively evaluates the observed tendency and believes similar practice will not support public service to get free from political influence. We think the government shall pay more attention to those facts and we call upon the local self-governments to recruit/dismiss people from local agencies in accordance to the law.