On 20 May, the German ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch issued a statement in regard to the reports that Georgia’s seasonal workers in Germany were faced with “difficult working conditions.” 

According to Knirsch, he talked to the German authorities and received the promise that all the terms of the contract would be met. “The agencies ensured that all the terms of the contract will be met, including the provision of adequate housing and a minimum wage of 9.5 euros. Problems may be everywhere. The main thing is to solve them soon. It is good that information about this case was spread in the media. I hope that the successful implementation of the program will be covered with the same attention,” stated Knirsch.  

The Georgian State Employment Agency also released a statement in regard to this issue. “We confirm that there was dissatisfaction on the part of the representatives of one group due to the violation of the conditions offered by the employer in the job description. Regarding this, the first contact with the German side was made by the State Employment Promotion Agency upon receiving the information. As of today, the Georgian side has already received information from the Employment Agency of the Federal Republic of Germany that specific measures have been taken to improve conditions of a particular group, which is obviously the result of the active work of the Georgian side. Most importantly, based on the agreement between Germany and Georgia and the terms of the job offer, the employer agreed to pay the correct, agreed-upon hourly wages to employees from Georgia. If the given condition is not met, the Georgian side demands the redistribution of members of this particular group to other employers,” read the agency’s statement.

On 19 May, the Georgian Trade Union Confederation (GTUC) published a statement, reporting that the 24 citizens who left Georgia for Germany for seasonal work were facing “difficult working conditions.” GTUC noted in the statement that the employed citizens were not receiving the promised remuneration. Their salary is 3 Euros instead of the promised 9 Euros per hour, and the unbearable living conditions in which the Georgian citizens are expected to live are even more alarming.

On 12 February, Georgia and Germany signed an agreement which allowed Georgian citizens to find employment in seasonal work in agriculture. In just a few hours after the unveiling of the program, almost 1.5% of the Georgian population filled out a questionnaire to apply for it (Caucasus Watch reported).