"We work hard to help the teachers understand the role of the trade union, feel the power and importance of the trade union as defender of their human rights... We are working in a very difficult situation and artificially created contradictions. Besides, we need a lot of work and energy in order to gain teachers' trust," - said Leila Metreveli, head of the ESFTUG’s Akhalkalaki branch organization on June 22, 2018 at the reporting-election conference. 51 delegates elected from the Akhalkalaki primary organizations, ESFTUG’s president Maia Kobakhidze, vice president Natia Kordzadze, deputy chairman of Akhalkalaki municipality council Seda Melkumian, council deputy - Armine Munassian, director of the kindergarten union Zarui Barbarian and public schools’ principals attended the confetence. Leila Metreveli, head of the ESFTUG’s Akhalkalaki branch organization, presented the activities carried out in Akhalkalaki municipality’s public schools and kindergartens. She also presented four-year report to the participants of the conference. It is noteworthy that due to Leila Metreveli's effort, 26 primary trade union’s organizations has been restored in Akhalkalaki region and 545 employees of Akhalkalaki educational institutions are ESFTUG’s members. The two main directions of the four-year report were identified: the results of the activities of ESFTUG and the challenges faced by the organization. Leila Metreveli spoke about the strategy developed by ESFTUG’s president Maia Kobakhidze, which increased the authority of the organization and make it easier to works for branch organization’s leaders at the local level. "All of us feel your high responsibility for the case, attitude towards each member and leader. Establishing teamwork principles, your willingness and effort to solve problems, gives us the strength and power”- said the leader of the ESFTUG’s Akhalkalaki branch organization. Leila Metreveli has proudly stated that the ESFTUG’s members have returned the trust to the trade union and despite the fact that in Akhalkalaki region up to 600 employees are trade union’s members, there are still a lot of problems. Leila Metreveli focused on the most painful issues of teachers – low salary, which is one of the reasons for the fact that the teachers are refraining from paying the trade union membership fees and the main thing is to not understand the importance of trade union membership in depth. "In the European countries, the worker's salary is 10 times higher, and the employees themselves are strengthening their trade union, with their high civic consciousness and freedom of expression, thus improving labor, socio-economic conditions, and trade union has high authority ... The employees do not have the opinion to leave the trade union... The main thing is to explain to our members the goal of trade union membership, to remove fear and to raise their motivation, "- said Leila Metreveli, leader of Akhalkalaki branch organization. Leila Metreveli assessed the attendance of the ESFTUG’s president as a special occasion because the delegates and guests of the Akhalkalaki branch organization had a great opportunity to hear from the head of the organization the changes made by the ESFTUG’s initiatives in the legislative and subordinate normative acts, To get acquainted with the information and specific facts about the recognition of the ESFTUG at the state or international level. The report of the head of the Akhalkalaki branch organization presented a list of the members' professional development training, cultural and educational activities, celebration dates, financial expenses and material benefits for various activities. Leila Metreveli talked about the significance of the project funded by the EU and implemented by the ESFTUG - "ESFTUG for Development of Human Rights Culture," involving Akhalkalaki branch organization. In the frames of the project, a booklet "Know Your Rights" was created in the native language of the national minorities and was transferred to all the schools and preschool institutions’ staff members. Also, the methodological guide, preparation of social dialogue and collective negotiations necessary for the preparation of trade union staff was developed and informational meetings and seminars on civic awareness raising were conducted. For the last four years, for Akhalkalaki branch organization’s members, professional development trainings were conducted in native - Armenian and Russian languages, for which the Akhalkalaki branch organization’s leader expressed gratitude towards the "Professional Development Center for Employees in Educational Institutions". On behalf of Akhalkalaki branch organization, the rapporteur thanked the President of the ESFTUG for the implementation of interesting projects and activities. According to Leila Metreveli's report, the Akhalkalaki Municipality teachers traditionally celebrated "International Teacher’s Day", merit teachers, on behalf of the Trade Union, were awarded with diplomas and memorable gifts; corporate evening parties were held for the purpose of strengthening members' relations. The head of Akhalkalaki branch organization recalled the final ceremony of the Imedi TV program "Imedi's heroes" in December, 2015, in which the successful teacher of Akhalkalaki municipality public school Juli Veleli-Shirinian participated. The ESFTUG’s president payed attention to this fact and called the participants the best example of moral heroism, awarded the diploma and 500 GEL cash prize for "Special Contribution to Popularization of Teacher Professions". "At this stage, the main task of our organization is to increase motivation of members and to establish the organization of strong western values" - ended Leila Metreveli, The report of the control-revision commission was presented to the delegates of the Conference of the Akhalkalaki branch organization. Delegates openly and freely discussed the processes in the general education system of the region and raised issues for further reaction. ESFTUG’s President Maia Kobakhidze said during the presentation of her four-year report that her goal is to increase the intensification of each member of the ESFTUG, activate and engage them in decision making processes. She called on the delegates to demand and criticize the activities of the ESFTUG because the “regional conference is a summary workshop where the problems and demands established by each delegate help us in the planning of future activities,"-Maia Kobakhidze told delegates. ESFTUG’s President Maia Kobakhidze noted that one of the main directions of ESFTUG is to support the solidarity of society, to formulate state thinking and to activate teachers in the field of gender equality. In the format of the discussion, the conference delegates positively evaluated the activities of the ESFTUG at both Akhalkalaki regional and national level and elected Leela Metreveli as the leader of the branch organization, and approved the action plan and elected the delegates of the ESFTUG’s IX reporting-election congress. At the end of the conference, active members, successful teachers and social partners were awarded with diplomas and symbolic gifts. Reporting-election conference of the ESFTUG's Akhalkalaki branch organization
"We work hard to help the teachers understand the role of the trade union, feel the power and importance of the trade union as defender of their human rights... We are working in a very difficult situation and artificially created contradictions. Besides, we need a lot of work and energy in order to gain teachers' trust," - said Leila Metreveli, head of the ESFTUG’s Akhalkalaki branch organization on June 22, 2018 at the reporting-election conference. 51 delegates elected from the Akhalkalaki primary organizations, ESFTUG’s president Maia Kobakhidze, vice president Natia Kordzadze, deputy chairman of Akhalkalaki municipality council Seda Melkumian, council deputy - Armine Munassian, director of the kindergarten union Zarui Barbarian and public schools’ principals attended the confetence. Leila Metreveli, head of the ESFTUG’s Akhalkalaki branch organization, presented the activities carried out in Akhalkalaki municipality’s public schools and kindergartens. She also presented four-year report to the participants of the conference. It is noteworthy that due to Leila Metreveli's effort, 26 primary trade union’s organizations has been restored in Akhalkalaki region and 545 employees of Akhalkalaki educational institutions are ESFTUG’s members. The two main directions of the four-year report were identified: the results of the activities of ESFTUG and the challenges faced by the organization. Leila Metreveli spoke about the strategy developed by ESFTUG’s president Maia Kobakhidze, which increased the authority of the organization and make it easier to works for branch organization’s leaders at the local level. "All of us feel your high responsibility for the case, attitude towards each member and leader. Establishing teamwork principles, your willingness and effort to solve problems, gives us the strength and power”- said the leader of the ESFTUG’s Akhalkalaki branch organization. Leila Metreveli has proudly stated that the ESFTUG’s members have returned the trust to the trade union and despite the fact that in Akhalkalaki region up to 600 employees are trade union’s members, there are still a lot of problems. Leila Metreveli focused on the most painful issues of teachers – low salary, which is one of the reasons for the fact that the teachers are refraining from paying the trade union membership fees and the main thing is to not understand the importance of trade union membership in depth. "In the European countries, the worker's salary is 10 times higher, and the employees themselves are strengthening their trade union, with their high civic consciousness and freedom of expression, thus improving labor, socio-economic conditions, and trade union has high authority ... The employees do not have the opinion to leave the trade union... The main thing is to explain to our members the goal of trade union membership, to remove fear and to raise their motivation, "- said Leila Metreveli, leader of Akhalkalaki branch organization. Leila Metreveli assessed the attendance of the ESFTUG’s president as a special occasion because the delegates and guests of the Akhalkalaki branch organization had a great opportunity to hear from the head of the organization the changes made by the ESFTUG’s initiatives in the legislative and subordinate normative acts, To get acquainted with the information and specific facts about the recognition of the ESFTUG at the state or international level. The report of the head of the Akhalkalaki branch organization presented a list of the members' professional development training, cultural and educational activities, celebration dates, financial expenses and material benefits for various activities. Leila Metreveli talked about the significance of the project funded by the EU and implemented by the ESFTUG - "ESFTUG for Development of Human Rights Culture," involving Akhalkalaki branch organization. In the frames of the project, a booklet "Know Your Rights" was created in the native language of the national minorities and was transferred to all the schools and preschool institutions’ staff members. Also, the methodological guide, preparation of social dialogue and collective negotiations necessary for the preparation of trade union staff was developed and informational meetings and seminars on civic awareness raising were conducted. For the last four years, for Akhalkalaki branch organization’s members, professional development trainings were conducted in native - Armenian and Russian languages, for which the Akhalkalaki branch organization’s leader expressed gratitude towards the "Professional Development Center for Employees in Educational Institutions". On behalf of Akhalkalaki branch organization, the rapporteur thanked the President of the ESFTUG for the implementation of interesting projects and activities. According to Leila Metreveli's report, the Akhalkalaki Municipality teachers traditionally celebrated "International Teacher’s Day", merit teachers, on behalf of the Trade Union, were awarded with diplomas and memorable gifts; corporate evening parties were held for the purpose of strengthening members' relations. The head of Akhalkalaki branch organization recalled the final ceremony of the Imedi TV program "Imedi's heroes" in December, 2015, in which the successful teacher of Akhalkalaki municipality public school Juli Veleli-Shirinian participated. The ESFTUG’s president payed attention to this fact and called the participants the best example of moral heroism, awarded the diploma and 500 GEL cash prize for "Special Contribution to Popularization of Teacher Professions". "At this stage, the main task of our organization is to increase motivation of members and to establish the organization of strong western values" - ended Leila Metreveli, The report of the control-revision commission was presented to the delegates of the Conference of the Akhalkalaki branch organization. Delegates openly and freely discussed the processes in the general education system of the region and raised issues for further reaction. ESFTUG’s President Maia Kobakhidze said during the presentation of her four-year report that her goal is to increase the intensification of each member of the ESFTUG, activate and engage them in decision making processes. She called on the delegates to demand and criticize the activities of the ESFTUG because the “regional conference is a summary workshop where the problems and demands established by each delegate help us in the planning of future activities,"-Maia Kobakhidze told delegates. ESFTUG’s President Maia Kobakhidze noted that one of the main directions of ESFTUG is to support the solidarity of society, to formulate state thinking and to activate teachers in the field of gender equality. In the format of the discussion, the conference delegates positively evaluated the activities of the ESFTUG at both Akhalkalaki regional and national level and elected Leela Metreveli as the leader of the branch organization, and approved the action plan and elected the delegates of the ESFTUG’s IX reporting-election congress. At the end of the conference, active members, successful teachers and social partners were awarded with diplomas and symbolic gifts.