Presentation of the study "Assessment of the Transparency of the Labour Inspection Service"

 

On December 20, 2023, “Law and Public Policy Center”, with the support of “Open Society Georgia Foundation” presented a study “Assessment of the Transparency of the Labour Inspection Service.”

The head of the Law and Public Policy Center, Ketevan Kukava, along with the Social Justice Program Manager of the Open Society Georgia Foundation, Anano Tsintsabadze, delivered opening remarks during the presentation.

“Transparency and openness significantly determine the public trust in public institutions. Labour inspection system is an important mechanism for protecting labour rights. Given the important role and functions of the Labour Inspection Service, there is a high public interest in information related to its activities. Our study has demonstrated that challenges exist both in terms of providing public information and proactive transparency. The Labour Inspection Service should address existing shortcomings and enhance transparency and openness,” – noted Ketevan Kukava.

According to the study, in certain cases, the public information provided by the Labour Inspection Service is not comprehensive and does not fully respond to the requests of interested parties. For example, the Service did not provide the list of sites inspected in January-July 2023 and the respective protocols of administrative offenses, stating that the results of inspections conducted during the said period and the related materials were still undergoing processing. Notably, the Service does not timely provide examination materials concerning industrial accidents.

Besides, the Labour Inspection Service does not fully comply with the obligations set forth by the Decree of the Government of Georgia on “Requesting Electronically and Proactive Publication of Public Information." The obligation to proactively publish public information is breached both in terms of content and periodicity, violating legislation and presenting a significant challenge to transparency. The information regarding the budget, state procurement, and expenditures of the Labour Inspection Service is completely absent from the Service's website.

Addressing the identified shortcomings in a timely manner is essential to improve the transparency and openness of the Labour Inspection Service.

The study is available here.

Key findings and recommendations are available here.