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26 April 2000
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CESCR
22nd Session
26 April 2000
Afternoon
A Government delegation from Georgia this afternoon told the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights that the country had a long tradition of respectful treatment of women, and that the old Soviet system had dictated that women be paid the same amount as men who performed the same tasks.
The remarks came as the Committee continued its consideration of the initial report of Georgia on the measures taken by the Government to implement the terms of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Asked a variety of questions by Committee experts, R. Beridze, Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council on Human Rights Issues and head of the delegation of Georgia, said she had previously served as Deputy Speaker of the Georgian Parliament. When debates there became seriously overheated, she said, she would take over the chair and things would automatically calm down because of the traditional respectful treatment of women in Georgia.
But despite her Parliamentary position, and the fact that women held several posts in the upper-reaches of the ministries, Mrs. Beridze said that women held only 16 of 235 seats in Parliament. The Government, she said, was considering implementing quotas to rectify the low numbers.
She said before Georgia gained its independence in 1991, the Soviet system of equal pay for equal work was in place, and there was no pay discrepancy because of gender. What had changed under independence, she said, was that women were more frequently becoming the top wage earners for families.
The delegation answered questions on a variety of topics that were brought up by Committee experts, including the treatment of refugees, particularly from Chechniya, the right to work, the right to just and favourable conditions of work, the rights to form trade unions and social security.
The Georgian delegation also included M. Jibuti, the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection; N. Kobakhidze, the First Deputy Minister of Culture; A. Kavadze, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Georgia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations at Geneva; and A. Kavsadze and T. Bakradze, Ministers Plenipotentiary of the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations at Geneva.
When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 27 April, it will complete its consideration of the report of Georgia.
Discussion
Addressing questions posed by Committee experts concerning the treatment of women in Georgia, R. Beridze, Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council on Human Rights Issues, said she used to be the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, and whenever things got seriously overheated, she would take over the chair and things would automatically calm down. There was traditional respectful treatment of women in Georgia.
The concept of equal pay for equal work was made clear before in Soviet legislation, she said. In Soviet times, there were not many families where the women was the main bread winner. That has changed. Frequently, the wife and mother was now the main bread winner.
Concerning positions held by women in the Government, she said, there were 20 ministers, and two were women. There were also seven deputy ministers who were women, and several department heads.
But everything in the garden was not rosy, she continued. Men tended not to welcome women in high posts. It was hard to eradicate this attitude. The President himself appreciated the abilities of women, and was taking steps to increase the number of women in Government. There were 235 members of Parliament, and only 16 were women. There was a suggestion that the country even consider establishing quotas in Parliament to ensure women were better represented.
Responding to questions about refugees from Chechniya, the delegation said Georgia had opened up a humanitarian corridor for them, and allowed in between 6,000 and 7,000 women, children and elderly refugees. The Russian Federation then closed the humanitarian corridor. But Georgia already had its own internally displaced persons problem, and needed help from the international organizations.
Medical assistance was necessary, the delegation said, because the refugees were not in good condition when they arrived. The benefits paid to refugees in some cases were higher than the salary paid to some State employees, so there might have been some prejudice against them, especially since there was an unemployment problem in the country.
Asked about the jobless rate in Georgia, the delegation said unemployment was a relatively new phenomenon -- it did not exist during Soviet times. A law was passed in the early 1990s that established job centers, unemployment benefits, an unemployment assistance and training. Whole sectors of the economy had disappeared, and the Government did not tackle the problem when it happened. At some points, the number of unemployed persons was greater than the number of people in employment.
Answering a question about trade unions, the delegation said the domestic law stipulated how a strike could be held. There were restrictions for hospitals and the emergency sector. Teachers had gone on strike more than once, because their salaries had been withheld, and they were able to see positive results. The State did not put any impediments in the way of strikes.
The delegation said that there were trade unions under the Soviet system, but they were mostly political. The trade unions today were just finding their feet and were getting sorted out.
Addressing the social protection system there, the delegation said it was extensively reformed after the collapse of the Soviet system. There was an eclectic approach to the problem -- there had not been a differentiation between social protection, social welfare, and social insurance, for example. The World Bank had helped with the reform of the pension system. The age that one received a pension was increased -- from 55 to 60 for women, and for men from 60 to 65. This was a useful change, and it was an unprecedented event in Georgia.
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22nd Session
26 April 2000
Afternoon
A Government delegation from Georgia this afternoon told the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights that the country had a long tradition of respectful treatment of women, and that the old Soviet system had dictated that women be paid the same amount as men who performed the same tasks.
The remarks came as the Committee continued its consideration of the initial report of Georgia on the measures taken by the Government to implement the terms of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Asked a variety of questions by Committee experts, R. Beridze, Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council on Human Rights Issues and head of the delegation of Georgia, said she had previously served as Deputy Speaker of the Georgian Parliament. When debates there became seriously overheated, she said, she would take over the chair and things would automatically calm down because of the traditional respectful treatment of women in Georgia.
But despite her Parliamentary position, and the fact that women held several posts in the upper-reaches of the ministries, Mrs. Beridze said that women held only 16 of 235 seats in Parliament. The Government, she said, was considering implementing quotas to rectify the low numbers.
She said before Georgia gained its independence in 1991, the Soviet system of equal pay for equal work was in place, and there was no pay discrepancy because of gender. What had changed under independence, she said, was that women were more frequently becoming the top wage earners for families.
The delegation answered questions on a variety of topics that were brought up by Committee experts, including the treatment of refugees, particularly from Chechniya, the right to work, the right to just and favourable conditions of work, the rights to form trade unions and social security.
The Georgian delegation also included M. Jibuti, the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection; N. Kobakhidze, the First Deputy Minister of Culture; A. Kavadze, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Georgia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations at Geneva; and A. Kavsadze and T. Bakradze, Ministers Plenipotentiary of the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations at Geneva.
When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 27 April, it will complete its consideration of the report of Georgia.
Discussion
Addressing questions posed by Committee experts concerning the treatment of women in Georgia, R. Beridze, Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council on Human Rights Issues, said she used to be the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, and whenever things got seriously overheated, she would take over the chair and things would automatically calm down. There was traditional respectful treatment of women in Georgia.
The concept of equal pay for equal work was made clear before in Soviet legislation, she said. In Soviet times, there were not many families where the women was the main bread winner. That has changed. Frequently, the wife and mother was now the main bread winner.
Concerning positions held by women in the Government, she said, there were 20 ministers, and two were women. There were also seven deputy ministers who were women, and several department heads.
But everything in the garden was not rosy, she continued. Men tended not to welcome women in high posts. It was hard to eradicate this attitude. The President himself appreciated the abilities of women, and was taking steps to increase the number of women in Government. There were 235 members of Parliament, and only 16 were women. There was a suggestion that the country even consider establishing quotas in Parliament to ensure women were better represented.
Responding to questions about refugees from Chechniya, the delegation said Georgia had opened up a humanitarian corridor for them, and allowed in between 6,000 and 7,000 women, children and elderly refugees. The Russian Federation then closed the humanitarian corridor. But Georgia already had its own internally displaced persons problem, and needed help from the international organizations.
Medical assistance was necessary, the delegation said, because the refugees were not in good condition when they arrived. The benefits paid to refugees in some cases were higher than the salary paid to some State employees, so there might have been some prejudice against them, especially since there was an unemployment problem in the country.
Asked about the jobless rate in Georgia, the delegation said unemployment was a relatively new phenomenon -- it did not exist during Soviet times. A law was passed in the early 1990s that established job centers, unemployment benefits, an unemployment assistance and training. Whole sectors of the economy had disappeared, and the Government did not tackle the problem when it happened. At some points, the number of unemployed persons was greater than the number of people in employment.
Answering a question about trade unions, the delegation said the domestic law stipulated how a strike could be held. There were restrictions for hospitals and the emergency sector. Teachers had gone on strike more than once, because their salaries had been withheld, and they were able to see positive results. The State did not put any impediments in the way of strikes.
The delegation said that there were trade unions under the Soviet system, but they were mostly political. The trade unions today were just finding their feet and were getting sorted out.
Addressing the social protection system there, the delegation said it was extensively reformed after the collapse of the Soviet system. There was an eclectic approach to the problem -- there had not been a differentiation between social protection, social welfare, and social insurance, for example. The World Bank had helped with the reform of the pension system. The age that one received a pension was increased -- from 55 to 60 for women, and for men from 60 to 65. This was a useful change, and it was an unprecedented event in Georgia.
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