Lithuania
Key Facts
| Population | 3,003,641 |
|---|---|
| Collective Bargaining Coverage | 15% |
| Proportion of Employees in Unions | 10% |
| Principal Level of Collective Bargaining |
company |
| Workplace Representation |
union – or works council if there is no union |
| Board-level Representation |
no |
| Company Board Structure |
monistic or dualistic (choice) |
Sources: see individual country sections; where a range of figures has been quoted, the lower number has been taken
Trade Unions
Union membership in Lithuania is low – about 7% of all employees. The unions are divided into three main confederations, LPSK, LPSF “Sandrauga” and LPS “Solidarumas", divided – historically at least – on ideological grounds. However, the unions are able to work together.
more ...Collective Bargaining
The Labour Code, which came into effect in 2017, has had a significant impact on collective bargaining, which is now exclusively reserved to unions, and may, in some cases, only benefit union members. Bargaining is much more prevalent in the public than the private sector and covers some 15% of the total workforce.
more ...Workplace Representation
The Labour Code, which came into effect in 2017, has also changed employee representation at workplace level. Employers with 20 or more workers are now required to initiate the setting up of a works council, and large numbers have been established. However, where an employer-level union has more than a third of the company’s employees in membership, it takes over from the works council.
more ...Board-level Representation
There is no employee representation at board level in the private sector in Lithuania, but they are present in some state-owned enterprises.
more ...European-level Representation
European representatives from Luxembourg are chosen by the employee delegations. In most cases they must be employees, but this is not the case for the members of an SNB for a European Company, where union officials can also be chosen.
more ...Health and Safety Representation
In most companies with at least 50 employees and in some with fewer, employees have the right to elect representatives with health and safety responsibilities to a joint employee/employer health and safety committee. Many of the details of how they work – such as the precise number to be elected or their time-off rights – are left to be agreed between employees and employer in the company or collective agreements.
more ...Financial Participation
Financial employee participation is not widespread in Lithuania. Although the level of employee share ownership was very high when Lithuania gained independence, it declined dramatically in the years following 1995.
more ...