Dismissal Paperwork: The General Rules
Every document terminating an employment contract in Georgia must rest on a chain of lawful grounds. The American at-will employment model does not operate here: the Labour Code establishes a closed list of termination grounds and subjects each case to written form, deadlines and compensation floors. This page describes the mechanics of that paperwork: which ground must be named in which document, what must be sent to the employee within which period, and where the boundaries lie that annul a dismissal if crossed.
Four articles carry the entire process: Article 47 — the list of grounds; Article 48 — the notice procedure, deadlines and compensation; Article 44 — the deadline for the final settlement; and Article 46 — suspension of the employment relationship, which is not termination and must be kept documentarily separate from it.
The Closed List of Grounds and the Role of Internal Rules
The first paragraph of Article 47 enumerates the grounds for termination: economic, technological or organizational changes requiring a reduction of the workforce; expiry of the contract's term; completion of the work stipulated by the contract; the employee leaving of their own accord on the basis of a written declaration; written agreement of the parties; mismatch of qualifications or professional skills with the position; gross breach of a duty; repeated breach of a duty within the last 1 year after a disciplinary measure; prolonged incapacity exceeding 40 consecutive calendar days or 60 calendar days in total within 6 months; entry into force of a court judgment precluding performance; a court decision declaring a strike unlawful; death; commencement of liquidation; and another objective circumstance justifying termination.
For disciplinary grounds the Code sets a clear condition: a breach of duties imposed by internal labour rules becomes a ground for termination only if those rules are part of the employment contract. The documentary chain is therefore: internal rules → their incorporation into the contract → recording of the breach → termination. A missing link in this chain collapses the dismissal in court. The same article prohibits termination on any other ground, on grounds of discrimination, during the protected period following notification of pregnancy, during call-up or service in the military, and while serving as a juror.