Construction of sectoral bipartite dialogue underway

Sectoral social dialogue has traditionally been underdeveloped in Lithuania, with national-level tripartite and company-level social dialogue prevailing. However, initiatives have recently been taken to set up bilateral councils and commissions. On 8 March 2010, an agreement was reached to set up a bipartite council in the textiles sector. Moreover, a bilateral commission of civil servants was due to hold a consultation meeting on 18 March.

In Lithuania, sectoral social dialogue has been traditionally underdeveloped: instead, national-level tripartite and company-level social dialogue has been prevailing, as is the case in many other of the new Member States that joined the European Union in 2004 and 2007. However, the situation seems to be gradually changing in recent years, with initiatives being taken to set up bilateral councils or commissions in various sectors of economic activity.

Bipartite council in railways sector

At the end of 2007, a bipartite council was established at the joint stock company Lithuanian Railways (Lietuvos geležinkeliai, LG). Although LG constitutes one company, it has many units throughout the country. In addition, the company is engaged in passenger and freight transport, as well as railway infrastructure. Therefore, it actually covers the entire railways sector in Lithuania. At the bipartite council, employees are represented by the leaders and deputy executives of two trade unions active in the company which have joined forces to represent the workers. The company’s management is also represented at a high level – that is, by the deputy director general and chief officers of personnel, law and economy units.

The bipartite council is chaired in rotation by a representative from one or the other party. Council members hold meetings about once every quarter. The bipartite council deals with many financial and social issues relevant to LG in general; it also addresses the most relevant problems facing individual regions and structural units. According to representatives of both the management and trade unions, the bipartite council has been functioning efficiently and many palpable results have been achieved over a one-year period – such as an increase in wages and improved working conditions.

Agreement on bipartite council for textiles sector

In the period 2005–2008, a project on the ‘Development of social partnership in the Lithuanian clothing and textiles industry’, funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), was implemented by the Lithuanian Apparel and Textile Industry Association (Lietuvos aprangos ir tekstilės įmonių asociacija, LATIA) and by two trade unions operating in the textiles sector – the Lithuanian Trade Union of Light Industry (Lietuvos lengvosios pramonės profesinė sąjunga, LLPPS) and the Lithuanian Trade Union of Industry Workers ‘Solidarumas’ (Lietuvos pramonės įmonių profesinė sąjunga ‘Solidarumas’, LPIPS).

Within the framework of the project, representatives of clothing and textiles employees and employers were provided with information on social dialogue and its importance. The representatives also acquired negotiating skills, and learned how to seek compromises and to adopt the most suitable solutions in negotiations. A draft collective agreement was also developed for the clothing and textiles sector, in addition to an online Social Dialogue and Monitoring Information System. The latter regularly publishes statistical and analytical information on the clothing and textiles sector, analyses market trends and dynamics, and discusses current and future activities of the industry.

Although a bipartite council or commission was not established during the project implementation, and a collective agreement was not signed, the social partners identified each other, and acquired the necessary knowledge and skills. This encouraged the social partners to develop their cooperation, and on 8 March 2010 an agreement was reached between LATIA, LLPPS and LPIPS to set up a bilateral council. The trade unions, which first proposed the idea, have since drafted ‘Regulations of the bipartite council of Lithuanian clothing and textiles enterprises’. After agreeing on and approving the regulations, the bipartite council is expected to commence its activities in the summer of 2010. It is proposed that the council will comprise a maximum of 10 members, with the employers and trade unions having five representatives each. Primary objectives will include improving the sector’s image, developing social dialogue, promoting lifelong learning, maintaining jobs and improving employment relations.

Consultation meeting in civil service

Discussions on the establishment of a special council or commission in the civil service have been in progress for some time in Lithuania (LT0611029Q, LT0602101N). In 2009, a decision was made to set up such a commission at the Tripartite Council of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos Trišalė taryba, LRTT). After several unsuccessful attempts to convoke a constituent assembly, it was finally agreed to hold a consultation meeting of the Bipartite Commission of Civil Servants at the LRTT Secretariat on 18 March 2010. The meeting was expected to elect the chair of the commission and to adopt resolutions concerning draft regulations of the commission. However, it was decided that the social partners must first agree on the regulations and then choose a date for the meeting. The Bipartite Commission of Civil Servants is expected to deal with problems relevant to civil servants.

Inga Blažienė, Institute of Labour and Social Research