Education International has written to Mikheil Saakashvili, the president of the Republic of Georgia, and Alexander Lomaia the minister of education & science, in support of affiliate the Educators and Scientists Free Trade Union of Georgia.
The letter follows threats of expulsion to teachers who threatened strike action over the non-payment of salaries.
The content of the letter is available below: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili President of the Republic of Georgia Fax : +995-32-93 27 27 Brussels, 16th February 2006 Dear President, Education International (EI), the global union federation of teachers and other education workers, which represents over 29 million members in 166 countries and territories, includes the Educators and Scientists Free Trade Union of Georgia (ESFTUG) among its affiliates.
The ESFTUG has informed us that, in spite of the considerable improvement in the timely payment of teachers’ wages throughout Georgia, the teachers of 11 schools out of 16 in the town of Poti in West Georgia have not yet received their wages for December 2005. The necessary funds which have reportedly been transferred from the central budget to the local authorities, have, for an unknown reason, not been paid to the teachers.
Furthermore, the local authorities have allegedly threatened school headmasters and union leaders with dismissal if the teachers go on strike. Education International expresses its strong support to the teachers of Poti who claim nothing more than their legitimate salaries.
In addition, the right to strike is also a fundamental right of all workers. Education International urges you to order the relevant authorities to pay the salaries that are overdue to the teachers without any further delay, in order to solve this conflict in a peaceful and satisfactory manner. Yours sincerely, Fred van Leeuwen General Secretary