Signing of the National Collective Agreement: Higher salary and longer leave for union members

As announced in the report, the National Collective Agreement was signed by the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation, the Lithuanian Trade Union Solidarumas, the Lithuanian Trade Union Sandrauga, the Republican Joint Trade Union and the National Association of Official Trade Unions.

“On the one hand, we talk a lot about salaries, but another important part of the negotiations are the additional guarantees for union members. By allowing union members to take advantage of the additional benefits of the agreement, we encourage all public sector employees to join in and represent their interests. The government, as an employer, makes this decision difficult for future negotiations, but strengthens employees and strengthens social dialogue, “said the Minister of Social Security and Labor, Linas Kukuraitis.

Base salary

Under a national collective agreement, the government has promised to increase the base salary to 177 euros next year. This amount is used to calculate the salaries of public officials, civil servants, the military, employees of state and municipal budgetary institutions, politicians and judges. This amount of the basic official salary is also provided for in the state and municipal budget project presented to the Seimas.

The national collective agreement establishes that if the Ministry of Finance presents the latest economic development scenario at the basic level of the official salary in December, it can be reversed, that is, it could be increased if the economic situation seems favorable.

The fixed part of the official salary is calculated by multiplying the base amount of the official salary by the coefficient applied to the specific position. Salaries are usually complemented by a variable part of the official’s salary, which depends on the achievement of work objectives, as well as bonuses, bonuses or overtime payments if they have worked.

The increase in the base amount of the official salary will affect about 200 thousand. officials, employees and civil servants of the public sector.

Additional guarantees for union members

In 2021, union members that have signed an agreement with the Government will be able to benefit from additional guarantees. These guarantees will be valid next year only for those employees who joined the unions before the signing of the National Collective Agreement.

This is expected to encourage many public sector workers to consider joining unions in the future. As unions are strengthened, social dialogue will be strengthened and workers will be better represented.

ADDITIONAL ANNUAL LICENSE. Next year, trade unionists will be able to enjoy an additional 2 working days of annual leave, even if the employee is entitled to a long leave depending on his profession, as is the case for teachers or some social service workers.
Additional annual leave, during which the employee’s average salary is paid, must be used during 2021. If additional days are not used during the year, they cannot be accumulated.

However, when an employee resigns or is fired for the reasons established by law, the additional unused leave must be compensated in the same way as the other annual leave in proportion to the period worked in 2021.

STUDY LICENSE. According to the Labor Code, an employer who has worked in the workplace for more than 5 years and is studying under a formal education program must receive up to 10 working days of study leave per year by the employer for at least the half of the employee’s average salary.

An employee who has completed the same period of participation in non-formal adult education programs may be granted a study leave of up to 5 business days per year, but at least half of the employee’s average salary is paid only in the cases in which non-formal learning is directly related to the professional development of the employee. .

At that time, the National Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulated that the union members who signed the agreement would not be subject to the 5-year rule and the payment for study leave could be more generous.

This means that employees who study in formal education programs or participate in non-formal education programs for adults will be able to get up to 10 working days of study leave at their average salary or up to 20 working days at 50%. of the average salary of the employee.

To take advantage of this opportunity, the employer must present an apprenticeship certificate.

EXTRA HEALTH DAYS. Union members will also be able to use up to 5 business days next year to improve their health by paying the average salary for those days. It is true that this additional bonus of the contract cannot be enjoyed by those employees who will benefit from more favorable conditions for training.

Additional provisions of the National Collective Agreement would affect about 34.5 thousand. union members.