On November 10, 2015, the Public Defender of Georgia submitted amicus curiae brief to Tbilisi City Court’s Civil Cases Chamber with regard to alleged discrimination on grounds of trade union membership.

In the lawsuit the applicant alleged that he was subjected to discrimination by JSC Georgian Railway on grounds of trade union membership, as he was dismissed from the company due to the artificially created obstacles and this was conditioned by his affiliation with the New Trade Union of Georgian Railwaymen.

In the amicus curiae brief the Public Defender reviewed the test of detection of alleged discrimination on grounds of trade union membership, application of the rule of burden of proof in the discrimination cases, as well as the case law of the European Court of Human Rights with regard to the discriminatory treatment on grounds of foundation of or affiliation with trade union.

The amicus curiae brief is not aimed at supporting any party and it only indentifies the standard established by the European Court of Human Rights in similar cases.