Roundup: Lithuania's new labor regulation faces protests

Lithuanian trade unions on Thursday held protests against new Labor Code proposed by social-democrat led centre left government to extend workweek, cut social guarantees and holidays.

Around 1,500 people gathered around Lithuanian parliament and the government's palace to express their anger over the new Labor Code.

"An employee becomes a tool for employer's will, he is being turned into an instrument, and this can be compared with slavery legalization," Irina Judina, the chair of Lithuania's Trade union of hired workers, told news website delfi.lt.

Lithuanian trade unions try to block the new Labor Code before its approval at Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas. The timing was adjusted to the parliament's agenda since the protest action was held on the same day Lithuanian lawmakers started their autumn session.

"We mostly disagree with more flexible dismissal from work, severance payouts. I think, dialogue could solve this, but there's no dialogue," one of the protesters told Lithuanian national radio LRT.

Loreta Grauziniene, speaker of the Seimas, tried to calm down the protesters, promising them new labor regulation will be implemented only after finding agreement at the Tripartite Council, an institution that brings together representatives of the government, employers, and trade unions.

"Discussions at the Seimas won't start before the compromise at the Tripartite Council is found," Grauziniene told local media on Thursday.

The government argues more flexible labor regulation would bring more jobs to Lithuanian economy and encourage business investments.

"We have managed to create a model which outruns all other states of old democracy, because they cannot get rid of particular constraints, let's say rigid institutions," professor Tomas Davulis, the head of the team that developed the social model, told local media at the event held in response to the trade union protests.

Davulis said their model doesn't have analogues in other countries. According to the government, the proposed Labor Code and the new social model is aimed at ensuring adequate guarantees and better adjustment of labor and family obligations, more favorable conditions to employers of hiring and maintaining labor forces.

Earlier this year, Dalia Grybauskaite, Lithuanian president, criticized the social model as being in general a mingle-mangle of scientists' ideas and proposals.

The Labor Code in conjunction with the new social model is one of the most important laws to be approved at the Seimas this fall. Enditem