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Description
The main goal of the project is to improve the model of cooperation between the social partners, the principles and mechanisms of collective bargaining, and to speed up collective bargaining at the corporate and national level. This will be achieved by exploring the motivation of employers for collective bargaining and the possibilities and prospects for its promotion in industrial enterprises, as well as in the sector as a whole.
Social dialogue is the regulation of relations between employers and employees, which is based on collective bargaining. An important condition for its success is the motivation of both parties to negotiate. In Lithuania, employers have long had less motivation to engage in social dialogue, especially at the company level, while the motivation of employees and their representatives for collective bargaining is high.
The first step of the project is a detailed analysis of the existing collective agreements of the selected companies, carried out by two experts. The governing committee will discuss the main problems and challenges in the field of collective bargaining and collective agreements, as well as draw up a plan for collective bargaining training for the social partners.
Subsequently, roundtables and trainings will be held in accordance with the approved training plan, where negotiation experts will be invited from Fellesforbundet and labour law experts from Lithuania. The purpose of these activities is to create a strong negotiating team in various industrial enterprises.
The final project report will be carried out by experts and will discuss the problem areas of collective bargaining at the level of enterprises and sectors, possible solutions and recommendations.
The final conference will present the final report and the results of the project for representatives of public authorities, employers, politicians and social partners.
Summary of project results
The main objective of the project was to improve the model of cooperation between social partners and to step up collective bargaining at company and national level, in order to improve decent working conditions in the industry sector in Lithuania.
The situation of social dialogue is very complicated in the country, especially in the private sector. Companies are more likely to imitate social dialogue than to adhere to agreements. The voice of social partners is increasingly being heard by the authorities, but the situation still needs to be improved.
The project was carried out in organizations in the sectors of chemistry and energy which belong to the Lithuanian industry trade union federation. An important condition for the success of the project was the motivation of both parties to negotiate. Therefore, it was important to study the motivation of employers in these sectors and in enterprises, as well as opportunities, difficulties and shortcomings.
A comprehensive expert analysis of the existing collective agreements was made in the selected enterprises. The review of the legal regulation was discussed in the first steering committee meeting, identifying the main problems and challenges in collective bargaining and collective agreements. A training plan was set up for the negotiating team of social partners, which also focused on round table discussions and workshops. Experts from the Norwegian partner Fellesforbundet trained the team in collective bargaining, and experts from Lithuania shared knowledge on labor law. The purpose of the round table discussions and workshops was to create strong negotiating teams in different companies in the industry field. A final report included recommendations for collective related to problem areas in collective bargaining at company and sectoral levels, possible solutions and recommendations to public authorities. The report was presented at a final conference, which gathered representatives from state institutions, politicians, and social partners.
Summary of bilateral results
Learned about collective bargaining process in Norway, adopted the good practice and prepared a publication about the process of collective negotiations in Lithuania