Order to Increase Social Workers’ Salary Has Been Approved, Yet Strike Continues
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
The Social Services Agency has approved a new order on increased salaries for social agents and senior social agents. According to the approved document, the fixed salary of a social agent is increased to 60%. In particular, their salary will be GEL400 instead of GEL250, and the salary of a senior social agent - GEL700 instead of GEL550. Also, within the framework of family visits, social agents will receive GEL10 instead of GEL6 for one completed declaration. Also, the salaries of low and middle-level employees of the Social Service Agency will increase from 40% to 60%.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Health, the document on the decision has already been sent to the employees for information. The increased salaries will affect a total of 998 people employed by the Social Service Agency from February 1, 2022. This information was released to the media on 18th of January. Recall, social service agents have been holding a rally since January 17 demanding a pay rise.
The lawyers of the agents, Davit Omsarashvili, a representative of the ‘Solidarity Network’, say that the decision of the Ministry of Health is not acceptable and the protest action continues.
“The protest continues, the position is the same as we had at the beginning of the protest rally. Social agents are demanding a 100% pay rise. About 400 people remain on strike. They are not working and it will continue until the decision-maker or the minister meets with them,” the lawyer said.
Social Agent Tea Narimanishvili says there has been no communication with agents and decisions were made unilaterally. We demand a 100% increase in fixed and output-based salaries, as well as reimbursement of travel expenses and maternity leave. Whatever requests we had remained unanswered. In case of a normal salary, a 40-60% increase may be good, but when a person has a salary of GEL360, it is nothing for him,” Narimanishvili said.
Minister of Health Zurab Azarashvili states that the employees of the Social Service Agency have appropriate remuneration for their activities. He informed that the salary of social agents has been under consideration for several months.
“Due to their functions and workload and the working day, we think we made the appropriate decision last week and in some cases there is a 60% salary increase. In addition to salary, they can earn income for each completed declaration. In total, they can receive almost twice as much as the fixed salary, including compensation. Therefore, we think that this salary is adequate for today's reality due to their workload,” Azarashvili commented.
According to the Deputy Minister of Health, Tamar Barkalaia, despite the strike of about 400 employees, the service centers of the service agency are working smoothly and this process will continue during the negotiations with the striking employees.
Regarding this topic, Lelo opposition party MP Badri Japaridze expressed his party’s readiness to start consultations on convening an extraordinary sitting of the Parliament to hear why this crisis has arisen.
“I declare with full responsibility that if the Georgian Dream supports the appointment of an extraordinary sitting, I do not doubt for a moment that all opposition MPs will come there, because it is about our fellow citizens and the crisis that has arisen in the social sphere.” He announced, accusing the GD government of incompetent management.
