Employment law in Georgia
The Labour Code of Georgia now regulates working time, overtime, rest periods, leave, discrimination, and, most consequentially, termination. Dismissal requires a lawful ground, and the procedure around it is as important as the reason: notice, written justification where required, and correct final settlement. Where an employer skips the process, the ground it relied on rarely saves it.
For foreign staff there is now a second layer. Since March 2026, employing a foreign national without work authorisation is a separate offence with its own penalty for the employer, independently of whether the employment itself is otherwise lawful.
What I handle
- Employment documentation. Contracts, internal regulations, job descriptions, and policies that comply with the Labour Code rather than restating it incorrectly.
- Terminations. Grounds, notice, severance calculation, and settlement agreements, reviewed before the conversation rather than after it.
- Redundancies and restructuring. Including collective processes; I advised a major bank on a mass redundancy at PwC Georgia.
- Disputes. Unlawful dismissal and unpaid wage claims, mediation, and litigation, acting for employers or employees.
- Compliance for foreign staff. Work authorisation records, contract alignment, and audits of teams hired under the pre-2026 rules.
- Labour inspection readiness. Documentation review before, or during, an inspection.
For employees
I also act for individuals, usually on dismissal, unpaid wages, or a settlement agreement presented with a same-day deadline. If you have been handed a document and told to sign it now, that pressure is itself informative. Get it read first.
Why work with me
Employment work was a core part of my practice at PwC Georgia, covering both advisory and contentious matters. I am admitted to the Georgian Bar Association and work in Georgian, English, German, and Russian. For employers, I give a clear risk assessment and a recommended course; for employees, a straight answer about whether a claim is worth bringing.
Frequently asked questions
Can an employer terminate an employment contract in Georgia without cause?
No. Termination must rest on a ground recognised by the Labour Code, and the procedural requirements have to be observed: notice periods, written reasons where required, and correct final payment. Terminations that are substantively defensible are regularly overturned because the process was not followed, so the paperwork should be prepared before the decision is communicated.
What severance is payable on dismissal?
Severance depends on the ground for termination and the notice actually given, and the Labour Code sets minimum entitlements that an employment contract can improve on but not reduce. Calculating it correctly matters beyond the amount itself: an incorrect final settlement is often the point on which an otherwise sound dismissal is successfully challenged.
What are the risks of employing foreign staff without work authorisation?
Since the 2026 regime took effect, the employer faces its own penalty for engaging an unauthorised worker, separate from any fine imposed on the individual. The follow-on effects are usually worse than the fine: complications for that employee's future permit applications, and scrutiny of the rest of your foreign workforce. Employers who hired before March 2026 should audit those files rather than assume they were grandfathered.