The Parliament of Georgia with its first hearing approved the Proposed Bill on the Amendments to the Labor Code of Georgia

• On 27 April 2020, the Bill on the Amendment of the Labor Code of Georgia was published on the website of the Parliament of Georgia;
• Bill proposes the clear definition of direct and indirect discrimination and widens the scope of discrimination signs. Bill also aims to strengthen the equality between men and women by introducing the principle of equal pay for the work of the same value;
• Bill envisages the regulation of internships and applies the protection of the code to interns as well;
• One of the central issues of the bill is the regulation of working time, leisure and the right to break. Bill sets forth the minimum amount of the overtime pay, amount of such remuneration shall be determined by agreement between the parties and shall be at least 125 percent of the standard hourly wage rate;
• Bill stipulates that the amount of remuneration may not be less than the minimum wage. The mechanism for determining the minimum wage, its scope, and the regulations concerning the protection of remuneration shall prescribed in the special law on minimum pay;
• Bill proposes new protection mechanisms for employee in the case of redundancy and when the business ownership is transferred;
• In general, the novelties that the bill proposes are in accordance with EU Regulations;
• In the event of adoption of the Bill, it shall become effective gradually, and enter full force from 1 January 2021.

Source and date of publication: the website of the parliament of Georgia; 27.04.2020.