1. Country presentation Lithuania
Aleksandras Posochovas
Chairman of Lithuanian Service Workers Trade Union
Social Dialogue and Organising Members in Commerce Sector
Gdansk, June, 2011

2. Lithuania Population:. 3 millions Employed:
Lithuania Population: 3 millions Employed: 1,06 million Employed in commerce: 200,000 employees

3. 3 nationally recognized trade union centers in Lithuania :
Also, there are trade unions that don’t belong to the national trade union centers, which unite about members.
All trade unions in Lithuania unite about 12% employed.

4. About Commerce Sector
In the commerce sector employed about employees.
Main concentration is in the supermakets:
“Vilniaus prekyba”, “Norfos prekyba”, “Senuku prekyba”, “Apranga”- these are of local capital; and international capital “Rimi”, “IKI” retail networks, where more than 60 % of commerce workers are employed.
All the trade unions mentioned above trying to recruit commerce employees into trade unions. But due to big opposition from the employers and high workers turnover it is very difficult to do. This sector has low wage average. Most of the workers in the sector receive minimum wage (232 Euros) and additional wage is paid as premium. When employer hears that employee joins trade union, he cuts the premium and the employee works for the minimum, and employee loose the job just for misdemeanor.

5. LPSDPS
Lithuanian Service Workers Trade Union is established in 2004 (with 300 members then), in 2005 joined LPSK, in 2007 to UNI. Currently it unites 4000 members.
Main sectors:
Private security, commerce, gaming, culture, transport, hotels and restaurants, beauty services, sport sector.

6. Lithuanian commerce workers trade employees trade union
Is established in 2008, it has unions in:
“Rimi Lietuva”, where in 2009 first collective agreement in the supermarkets in Lithuania is signed.
“Norfos mazmena”
Kaunas commerce workers trade union
Gas stations networks : “Statoil Lietuva”, “PK ORLEAN”, “Saurida”
Total 700 members.
In other trade union centers are additional 1000 members altogether.
The trade union density is about 1,5 % of commerce workers.

7. Attempts to organise
Until recently Lithuanian trade unions practically did not give attention toward organizing, but declining membership forced it. With participation in international projects approx. a year ago attemps were made to organize. Some trade unions were trying to make various campaigns but it did not achieve substantial results.
LPSDPS implemented few campaigns recruiting new members: employees were invited to join through mass media (press, radio, TV), at the same time LPSDPS representatives together with LPSK youth distributed leaflets at the commerce places inviting to join union. Unfortunately commerce facility administration with the security forced to leave these activists.

8. Attemps to organise (2)
By the Lithuanian laws in order to establish trade union it should have 20 members (30 members a year before), therefore employer is trying in any case to destroy union at the initial stage, some of them bribing, forcing to unjoin union or to leave a job. Therefore in the by-laws of LPSDPS adopted hidden membership and till the sufficient number of membership is reached it doesn’t inform employer.
In LPSDPS more than 50% are young members, therefore no separate plan to attract young members exists.
Main obstacle: lack of civil responsibility, migration (about 0,5 million citizens left Lithuania), big unemployment, which is about 15%, workers turnover.

9. Good practice –“Statoil Lietuva”
Trade union here exists already 10 years, during these years 4 collective agreements are signed. It was the company where first collective agreement in the MNC’s in post soviet area was signed.
Intense struggle at the beginning, but with assistance from Norwegian colleagues and international organizations trade union has won. Currently there is an examplary social dialogue between trade unions and employer, active participation in EWC’s, density over 20%.

10. Lithuanian Service Workers Trade Union (LPSDPS)
Aleksandras Posochovas
Chairman
Contacts:
Jasinskio g LT Vilnius, Lithuania Tel. :

11. Thank you for your attention!