Social partners in favour of enhanced role for social dialogue

According to Lithuanian legislation, drafts of legal acts submitted to the government of the Republic of Lithuania on relevant labour, social and economic issues should be pre-agreed with the Tripartite Council of the Republic of Lithuania. However, despite the Council reviews of draft legislation, the opinion of the national level social partners is often neglected at a later stage, when the drafts are being adopted by the national parliament. In order to improve the situation, the social partners have issued official letters to the President and the Speaker of the parliament.

According to Lithuanian legislation, drafts of legal acts submitted to the government of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybė, LRV) on relevant labour, social and economic issues should be pre-agreed with the Tripartite Council of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos trišalė taryba, LRTT) (as it is defined in the Agreement on Tripartite Co-operation signed by the government of the Republic of Lithuania, trade unions and employers’ organisations). Draft legislation considered at the LRTT should be submitted to the LRV witthe h enclosed opinion of the LRTT.

However, although many drafts of legal acts ‘on relevant labour, social and economic issues’ are considered at the LRTT, the opinion of the national level social partners is often neglected at a later stage, when the drafts are being adopted by the parliament of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas, LRS). In order to improve the existing situation and enhance the role of the social dialogue and social partners in the social, economic and political life of Lithuania, in August 2008, members of the LRTT addressed the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, and the Speaker of the parliament, Česlovas Juršėnas. They stated that ‘members of the LRTT believe that mutual consultation between the social partners and the Presidency/LRS could become a valuable instrument in further improvement of the system of labour relations, remuneration and social guarantees in the country as well as in dealing with other issues likely to have any effect on the welfare of society’.

A meeting of representatives of the LRTT, the Speaker of the Parliament and the head of the Committee on Social Affairs and Labour of the LRS took place in August, at which the participants expressed their opinions about the role of the LRTT in the formulation of Lithuanian legislation. According to the social partners, the LRS should consult the LRTT and heed its opinion on an obligatory basis, and the statute of the LRS should have better defined provisions regarding the consultation of the social partners and the heeding of LRTT’s opinion. The representatives of the LRS agreed that the LRTT should be more active – they suggested that members of the LRTT could attend LRS plenary sittings dealing with controversial legislative amendments and to express their opinion. According to the Speaker of the parliament, the LRTT should also respond more expeditiously and produce its opinion on the legislative amendments adopted by the LRS after shorter discussions than at present. On the other hand, representatives of the LRS agreed to look at improving the parliamentary statute and reinforcing social and civil dialogues if this would contribute to the adoption of more well-balanced decisions for the benefit of all citizens.

A reply received from the Chancellery of the President stated that the ‘Agenda of the President is so busy that there are no possibilities to arrange the meeting in the very near future’. LRTT’s members have been offered a meeting with the President’s advisers. The specific date of the meeting has not yet been approved.

Inga Blaziene, Institute of Labour and Social Research