Lithuania's govt panel ends negotiations on public sector wages

  • 2019-03-16
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS – Despite remaining disagreements, a Lithuanian government commission on Friday ended its negotiations on a strategy to raise wages for public sector workers and plans to introduce ministers to it next week.

"We ran out of discussions slightly in our working group, (…) therefore, we decided that our strategy, with some additional proposals we have not taken into account, will be presented during an informal government meeting," Deputy Government Chancellor Deividas Matulionis, who chaired the commission, told BNS Lithuania on Friday.

The government is proposing raising coefficients for some of the lowest-earning workers by up to 50 percent next year, and also raising pay by 15 percent to workers in the areas of culture and art, social services, and also to pre-primary and pre-school teachers.

Under the proposals, wages for teachers should be raised by at least 10 percent, and wage coefficients should rise by 12 percent for the lowest-earning statuary workers, including fire fighters.

Inga Ruginiene, a trade union representative, said, however, that this way wages would grow for higher-rank officials and head of institutions, and not for the lowest-earners.

The commission also failed to reach agreement on the so-called basic rate wages for the majority of civil servants depends on.

The government commission on wages in the public sector was established last year in response to teachers' strikes.