On July 2, Vladimer Zaridze, a former employee, won a lawsuit in Tbilisi City Court alleging unlawful dismissal by the National Museum of Georgia.
According to the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), which defends Zaridze, the court overturned the Museum’s decision to terminate the plaintiff’s employment and a payback of GEL 6,000 (1,987€) in compensation.
The National Museum dismissed Zaridze on June 1, 2022, with an official reason of lacking required competencies following the “reorganization.” The Court found that the competencies of the employees were not held during the reorganization.
“The court fully agreed with the plaintiff’s position both in fact and in law. The case highlighted the problem of improper verification of competence during the reorganization, lack of evaluation criteria, and refusal to offer the employee an equivalent vacant position, which is completely contrary to the current labor legislation,” – reported GYLA.
The National Museum can appeal the decision.
The National Museum is overseen by the Ministry of Culture. Since her appointment as Minister of Culture, Tea Tsulukiani has been accused of politically motivated dismissals. Similar allegations were made during her tenure as Minister of Justice. According to Transparency International – Georgia’s February 2022 data, GEL 332,172 (110,008€) had to be paid out from the state budget in court-ordained compensations for illegal dismissals of employees at the Ministry of Justice during her tenure.
Also Read:
- 27/03/2024 – Another Dismissed Employee Wins Legal Dispute with Culture Heritage Preservation Agency
- 13/10/2023 – Another Dismissed Employee Wins Legal Dispute with National Museum
- 24/02/2023 – Another Dismissed Employee Wins Dispute with Ministry of Culture
- 09/11/2022 – Another Dismissed National Museum Employee Claims Victory in Court