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The German Embassy to Georgia issued a statement about the Georgian seasonal workers in Germany, claiming that the Georgian citizens whose working rights were violated shall be transferred to new employers already this week. The initially negotiated labour rights and requests will remain in effect, the Embassy said, CIVIL.GE reported.

The statement also cited the German Federal Employment Agency as expressing concern about the problem as “an individual case.” “German state agencies swiftly and efficiently investigated the case and took appropriate measures. Creating good working conditions for seasonal workers is a key precondition for the successful implementation of the intermediary agreement,” the agency concluded.

In its turn, likewise expressing regret about the incident, the German Embassy added that the violation of labor rights will have its “appropriate consequences.”

In February, Georgian Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze and Berlin’s Tbilisi envoy Hubert Knirsch announced that Germany would allow Georgian citizens to legally apply for seasonal harvest jobs in the country. Due to a large number of applicants, Germany expanded the agreement in March allowing 5,000 Georgian seasonal workers in the country for the 2021 harvest season, a tenfold increase compared to the initial quota.