TBILISI. Nov 15 (Interfax-AVN) - The wages paid to Georgian military servicemen and civilian workers employed by the armed forces will be significantly raised starting from Monday.
"On average, the wages of the servicemen, according to President Mikheil Saakashvili's decree, are to be raised by 230%-350%," a Defense Ministry source told Interfax-Military News Agency.
In particular, the minimum monthly wage to be paid to soldiers will be raised to 115 lari ($64) from 20 lari ($11), the source said. The servicemen who have undergone training under the U.S.' Train and Equip program and are currently paid at least 400 lari ($222.7) will also have their wages raised, although not that dramatically, he said.
The pensions of the army's civilian personnel and future retired servicemen will also be increased, the source said.
According to him, there are still some delays in paying wages to Georgian servicemen, but the situation now is much better than it was in the times of President Eduard Shevardnadze, when wages were delayed for many months.
The average monthly salary in Georgia is about 80 lari ($44.5).