Blaziene, Inga
Unions organise protest actions against cuts in public sector pay
01 December 2009
In response to the current economic situation in Lithuania, which is
continuing to worsen, the government of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos
Respublikos Vyriausybė, LRV [1]) with a view to realigning the national
budget is to impose public sector wage cuts, as well as to reduce the amount
of old-age pensions and other social welfare benefits.
[1] http://www.lrv.lt/
Occupational health and safety trends in agriculture
04 October 2009
In 2008, at the request of the Ministry of Social Security and Labour
(Socialinės apsaugos ir darbo ministerija, SADM [1]), the Lithuanian
University of Agriculture (Lietuvos žemės ūkio universitetas, LZUU [2])
conducted a survey seeking to analyse occupational safety and health measures
in agricultural companies and enterprises in Lithuania during the period
2003–2007. The survey also sought to issue recommendations on likely
preventive measures for improving occupational health and safety [3]. In
particular, it analysed the situation regarding agricultural enterprises’
compliance with occupational health and safety requirements, as laid down in
Lithuania’s labour legislation; this included the provision of information,
instruction, the training of employees and other issues.
[1] http://www.socmin.lt/
[2] http://www.lzuu.lt/pradzia/lt/
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/health-and-safety
Membership of National tripartite council boosted
04 October 2009
The Tripartite Council of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos
Trišalė taryba, LRTT [1]) is currently the main social dialogue institution
in the country. Representatives of the Government of the Republic of
Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybė, LRV [2]) and national-level
employer and trade union organisations meet for debates at the LRTT at least
once a month.
[1] http://www.lrtt.lt/
[2] http://www.lrv.lt
Lack of consensus over national agreement on economic crisis
24 September 2009
The impact of the global economic crisis has hit Lithuania severely: in the
second quarter of 2009, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) fell by
more than 20% compared with the same period in the previous year. Moreover,
the unemployment rate currently exceeds 10%, while an increasing number of
companies are going bankrupt, and the budget deficit is continuing to grow.
Against this background, the government of the Republic of Lithuania
(Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybė, LRV [1]) needs support from all political
parties and social partners.
[1] http://www.lrv.lt
Trade union hunger strike averts public sector pay cut
11 August 2009
In order to cope with the growing impact of the global economic crisis in
Lithuania, the government of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos
Vyriausybė, LRV [1]) announced that it was planning to increase taxes and
reduce state expenditure in order to balance the budget. Without consulting
the trade unions, the government decided on 17 June 2009 to cut the basic
monthly salary in the public sector. The basic monthly salary is applied as a
reference to determine the salaries of public sector employees such as
tutors, social workers, librarians and cultural workers. The basic weekly
salary was to be reduced accordingly from LTL 128 (about €37 as at 30 July
2009) to LTL 115 (€33). The pay cut was due to enter into force on 1 August
and would have affected about 230,000 public sector employees, most of whom
are already relatively low paid.
[1] http://www.lrv.lt
Social partners support draft bill to liberalise industrial relations
14 June 2009
In March 2009, social partners at the Tripartite Council of the Republic of
Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos trišalė taryba, LRTT [1]) met on two
occasions to consider a draft law amending and supplementing 19 articles of
the country’s Labour Code. The changes aim to allow for more flexible
regulation of industrial relations and to promote social dialogue at company
level. The draft was developed taking into consideration proposals of the
Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists (Lietuvos pramonininkų
konfederacija, LPK [2]), the Association of Lithuanian Chambers of Commerce,
Industry and Crafts (Lietuvos prekybos, pramonės ir amatų rūmų
asociacija, LPPARA [3]), the Investors’ Forum (Investuotojų forumas, IF
[4]) and scientists.
[1] http://www.lrtt.lt/
[2] http://www.lpk.lt/
[3] http://www.chambers.lt/
[4] http://www.investorsforum.lt/lt/
Court dismisses case against trade union leaders
20 May 2009
On 16 January 2009, three national trade union organisations called for
national protest action in front of parliament and government buildings in
the city of Vilnius, located in the southeast of the country. The trade
unions involved included the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation (Lietuvos
profesinių sąjungų konfederacija, LPSK [1]), the Lithuanian Labour
Federation (Lietuvos darbo federacija, LDF [2]) and the Lithuanian Trade
Union ‘Solidarity’ (Lietuvos profesinė sąjunga ‘Solidarumas’, LPS
‘Solidarity’ [3]). According to different sources, the number of
protesters varied from 5,000 to 7,000 people. Although the trade unions
advised participants ‘to stay dignified, serious and quiet, respectful of
the neighbourhood, not to violate each other’s rights and freedoms’, the
anticipated peaceful protest action ended in riots and civil unrest
(*LT0901019I* [4]).
[1] http://www.lpsk.lt/
[2] http://www.ldf.lt/
[3] http://www.lps.lt/
[4] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/trade-unions-organise-national-protest-to-demand-action-on-economic-crisis
Gender balance in work and family life
19 May 2009
The findings of a 2007 survey on the reconciliation of work and family life
reveal that Lithuanian society is still quite conservative about sharing
family responsibilities between men and women. The main barrier to achieving
a better balance between work and family life continues to be the personal
attitudes of the respondents themselves. Workers who strive for higher wages
and better career prospects tend to give a higher priority to work than to
family life.
Education trade unions join to form new federation
10 May 2009
The education sector is one of the best organised sectors of economic
activity in Lithuania. It not only unites a considerable number of trade
union members, but also has several trade union organisations: sectoral trade
unions of education workers are functioning in all of the national peak trade
union organisations. In addition, numerous independent education workers’
trade union organisations exist.
Agreement reached on instruments to strengthen social dialogue
13 April 2009
Dissatisfied with the social and economic policies pursued and hastily
adopted legislation in the country, three national trade union organisations
staged protest action on 16 January 2009 in front of the buildings of the
parliament (Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas, LRS [1]) and the government
(Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybė, LRV [2]) (*LT0901019I* [3]). The trade
unions involved included the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation (Lietuvos
profesinių sąjungų konfederacija, LPSK [4]), the Lithuanian Labour
Federation (Lietuvos darbo federacija, LDF [5]) and the Lithuanian Trade
Union ‘Solidarity’ (Lietuvos profesinė sąjunga ‘Solidarumas’, LPS
Solidarity [6]). Among the trade union demands put forward to the government
were greater attention to the social partners’ opinion prior to adopting
legislation that would be significant for employees and consideration of such
legislation at the Tripartite Council of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos
Respublikos Trišalė taryba, LRTT [7]).
[1] http://www.lrs.lt
[2] http://www.lrv.lt
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/trade-unions-organise-national-protest-to-demand-action-on-economic-crisis
[4] http://www.lpsk.lt/
[5] http://www.ldf.lt/
[6] http://www.lps.lt/
[7] http://www.lrtt.lt/