Trade union holds new government to 2005 agreement in education

Following a change of government in Lithuania in July 2006, the Lithuanian Trade Union of Education Employees is seeking to ensure that the new government fulfils the obligations of the previous government. The union expects that the new government will proceed with improving the working conditions of employees in the education sector in line with the 2005 agreement between the trade union and the Ministry of Education and Science.

Strike action averted by 2005 agreement

In September 2005, the Lithuanian Trade Union of Education Employees (Lietuvos švietimo darbuotoju profesine sajunga, LŠDPS) threatened to take strike action to express dissatisfaction with the new procedure for the remuneration of teachers approved by the Ministry of Education and Science (Švietimo ir mokslo ministerija, ŠMM) at the time. On 10 November 2005, after prolonged negotiations, LŠDPS and ŠMM signed an agreement, and the strike was postponed.

The basic provisions of the agreement concerned the improvement of working conditions for teachers and pre-school educators. Among the conditions agreed were the following:

• to increase teaching salaries by 20% in 2006;

• to reduce the number of pupils in schools and in classrooms;

• to review the method of calculating the budgetary allowance per pupil;

• to increase the salaries of pre-school educators to match the rate of teachers’ salaries;

• to assess the need for education reform and take appropriate measures to address existing problems.

In March 2006, the then Minister of Education and Science, Remigijus Motuzas, established a working group to oversee fulfilment of the agreement between ŠMM and LŠDPS. This group comprised an equal number of representatives from both sides.

Dialogue with new government

In September 2006, nearly a year after signing the agreement, LŠDPS initiated efforts to ensure the fulfilment of its provisions. However, in July 2006, a new Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybe, LRV) had been formed and a new Minister of Education and Science was appointed. At the end of August, the Chair of LŠDPS, Aleksas Bružas, met with the new Minister, Roma Žakaitiene, and a Deputy Minister, Virginija Budiene.

During the meeting, Mr Bružas enquired about the new government’s intentions regarding the obligations of the former government and ministry in relation to the education sector, including the content of the agreement between LŠDPS and ŠMM. It was agreed to proceed with the 2005 initiative and also to resume the original agreement between ŠMM and LŠDPS signed in 2002.

Despite the friendly atmosphere of the meeting, at the beginning of September Mr Bružas had publicly announced to Minister Žakaitiene that ‘the agreement of ŠMM and LŠDPS and decisions of the working group … are not always observed’, and declared that some documents approved by ŠMM would be promptly reviewed by the trade union.

At the same time, LŠDPS applied to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania, Gediminas Kirkilas, requesting written confirmation that the new government would continue to fulfil the agreement signed by the previous administration and LŠDPS. The trade union sought reassurance that ‘salaries to teachers, lecturers and other education professionals will be increased, giving due regard to their particular importance and place in social life, and the amount of funds assigned from the national budget will be adequate to the needs of this prioritised area as well as to the expectations of its employees’.

The trade union asked Prime Minister Kirkilas to meet representatives of LŠDPS. The Minister of Finance, Zigmantas Balcytis, and Minister Žakaitiene were also invited to attend this meeting, the date of which had not yet been set.

Commentary

As social dialogue is generally not very active in Lithuania, the activities of LŠDPS, the largest sectoral trade union, are highly significant. The substantial number of members in this trade union – in addition to its experienced and proactive presidium – enables LŠDPS to fight for better conditions of work and to share in the process of forming education policy. The activities of this sectoral trade union could serve as a model for other trade unions in the country.

Inga Blažiene, Institute of Labour and Social Research