A Georgian trade union has alleged that around 700 public servants have been dismissed in recent months due to their support for the country’s European integration efforts, following the Georgian Dream Government’s move late last year to halt the country’s EU integration until 2028.
Kakhi Samkharadze, the co-chairman of the Independent Trade Union of Public Servants – Article 78 of the Constitution, the dismissals had taken place across a range of state institutions, including Parliament, where a formal reorganization process was announced this week.
“This figure is growing. About 700 civil servants have been dismissed from public services because they supported the European integration process,” Samkharadze said. “150 of them have contacted us for legal support.”
The union claimed that staff targeted in the dismissals often did not publicly express their political views, but were identified and removed based on perceived support for closer ties with the European Union. Samkharadze described the trend as part of a broader campaign of “harassment and repression” within the public sector.
“This is another signal that this repression will definitely reach all people, all civil servants,” he said. “So it is better for them to openly state their position from the beginning, so that it would be relatively easier to protect their rights.”
Samkharadze also urged the private sector to show solidarity with the dismissed workers, calling on businesses to participate in joint employment and retraining initiatives.
“I call on all free businesses to engage in the joint struggle and stand against the system that persecutes civil servants,” he said. “These people have put the state and society above their personal interests.”
In response to the growing number of complaints, the union has filed a lawsuit with Georgia’s Constitutional Court, challenging the legality of the current Law on Civil Service. While expressing little faith in the domestic judiciary, Samkharadze said the move was necessary to pursue further legal action through international mechanisms.
“We do not expect the court to deliver justice, but we must first exhaust local avenues in order to move forward with international legal protection,” he said.
