Georgian president Zurabishvili: no deaths should occur at work sites
More than 400 have died in the workplace between 2010 and 2018, official statistics of the Interior Ministry says. Photo: Georgian Trade Union Confederation
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The Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili says the adoption and observation of labour safety standards is an essential part of developing Georgia and turning it into a European country.
President Zurabishvili made remarks over the recent detention of the head of the GVK Hospitality construction company after 16-year-old Giorgi Beshkenadze died at a construction site on July 16.
The company violating the labour safety is finally being punished in the country! It was exactly the violation of law that took the life of a 16-year-old adult”, Zurabishvili stated.
She also said that a total of 21 people have died on a workplace this year, most of them in construction sector, which is “unacceptable”
Starting 15 January, new technical regulations for the production of cement products, steel frames, electric cables and plastic pipes will come into play.
Georgian police have detained the head of the GVK Hospitality construction company after 16-year-old Giorgi Beshkenadze died at a construction site on July 16.
Tbilisi City Hall has drafted a bill and sent it to parliament earlier today which makes several construction violations a criminal offence, which are currently only considered administrative violations. The violations which might become a criminal offence include violations in height parameters, illegal construction works, ignoring an official demand to suspend construction and several others.
Construction on new luxury complex Panorama Tbilisi in central Tbilisi has been suspended after three workers fell from a building during construction work on Tuesday.
A new law on labour safety came into effect on September 1, the aim of which is to further strengthen workers’ rights to safe working conditions.
84 individuals have died at the workplace in one and a half years, between 2018 and June 2019, the Georgian Interior Ministry told IPN news agency.270 individuals have received injuries due to incidents at the workplace in the same period.In total, 59 died and 199 received injuries at the workplace in 2018, while 25 died and 71 received injuries between January and June of 2019.
With 82 votes in favour against none the parliament of Georgia adopted amendments to the Labour Code aimed to protect workers’ rights. The United States Embassy to Georgia ‘commends’ parliament for adopting the amendments.