Deceived Personnel

Former employees of the Borjomi-Likani Corporation have held several demonstrations demanding compensation.

On April 26, 2006, Georgian Ministry of Economic Development sold the Borjomi-Likani Corporation (BL) to the [Kazakh-owened] Kazmunai Gas Service Corporation (KGS) for 10 million USD.  Nobody spoke of [BL’s] resort staff being laid off at that time.  However, KGS promised to compensate anyone who would be laid off.

"[As a result of the sale,] 240 people from BL became unemployed.  Initially, the Kazakh [owners] held a meeting with the entire staff.  They promised to compensate us with three-months [salary], and the [Georgian] government was to provide an additional three months [of unemployment].  [The BL staff and KGS owners] orally agreed.  Now [KGS] is arguing that it has lost money on its purchase of [BL], though [KGS] appears to be generating large amounts of revenue from visitors.  We cannot prove now that [we had a previous agreement with management].  [KSG] says that it has not promised anything.  They are dishonest people," stated Mziuri Subeliani, a demonstrator.

"They promised to give us compensation for six months.  However, they fired us without pay.  The director stated to us that the resort was his property and that he would decide who to employ.  We have fought for these wages for the least three or four months now.  However, [the director] says that we are not to be paid, stating that we are no longer on the staff and have been fired... I worked in the clinic [of BL] as an office cleaner for a decade.  Now I am left penniless," said Meri Beridze, another demonstrator.

People having worked at BL for years and are no longer permitted inside the resort.  [The facility] is only open for certain people [who are paying customers].  "I have worked here for years, but now I can no longer enter the site to drink Borjomi mineral water.  [The spring] has been closed to the public.  Is it fair when you can not drink a glass of Borjomi on your own territory?" said Ms. Nino Maghradze, a former worker in BL’s clinic.

Giorgi Zakaidze, [Georgian] representative of KGS, contended that the new owners had not promised anything to the resort staff and that their complaint is unreasonable.  "When [KGS] purchased [BL], it contracted with the former staff for a month.  [KGS] prolonged the contract as long as possible.  [KGS] reimbursed former staff for any vacation time they had accrued and returned money that had been put toward their pensions.  [KGS] also handed out furniture from the resort to the former staff.  As for [additional] compensation, [KGS] made no mention of this in negotiations.  Moreover, [KGS] does not have the current assets to pay the former staff what they are demanding." stated Mr. Zakaidze.

Former staff at BL believe they were deceived when signing their dismissal papers.
"I worked for the resort for 36 years.  I was responsible for the management of property.  On September 15, an order for my dismissal was handed to me...  I thought some [additional] compensation would be given to me.  Ana Sajaia, an attorney [for KGS] made us sign releases because we were being laid off without [additional] compensation.  Now Ms. Sajaia avoids meeting with us.  At the time, she thanked us heartily for our hard work.  They have deceived so many people.  Just imagine who would have signed the document stating, ‘we do not want compensation’?  Ana Sajaia should meet us and answer our questions," said Nunu Gegechkori, a former hostess at the BL resort.

The release, that the former employees of BL signed, read in part, “On September 15, 2006, your contract will terminate.  The labor settlement [between management and staff] will not be prolonged.  This settlement expires at the end of your contract.  [After this time,] no additional compensation will be provided."  Despite [HRIDC’s repeated attempts], it could not reach Ms. Sajaia for comment [about this release]…

Former employees of BL are now left without compensation.  They are pressing their local government and majority MP Nodar Grigalashvili for help.  If their demands are not satisfied, they threaten to hold [additional] demonstrations and possibly resort to [alternative methods of protest].

Guliko Kokhodze, BL