Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2007, published 97th ILC session (2008)

Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No. 131) - Lithuania (Ratification: 1994)

The Committee notes the information provided in the Government’s report and the attached documents.

Article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention. Minimum wage system. The Committee recalls its previous comment in which it had noted that the minimum wage rates had not been adjusted for several years due to the difficult financial situation. The Committee notes with interest that the minimum wage system has now resumed its proper function, the minimum monthly and hourly pay rates being revised on an annual basis by government resolution, taken upon the recommendations of the Tripartite Council, in accordance with section 187 of the Labour Code of 2002 which superseded the Wages Act of 1991. The Committee notes that the minimum monthly and hourly rates are currently set at 700 and 4.19 litas (approximately 203 and 1.2 euros) respectively, which represents an increase of 27 per cent in two years. The Committee requests the Government to keep it informed of all future developments in this respect, especially with regard to the possible indexation of the minimum wage to which the Government had referred in its previous report.

Article 4. Consultations with the social partners. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government according to which the social partners submit annually proposals for the determination of minimum wage levels which are then analysed by the tripartite Standing Commission on remuneration for work before a final recommendation on a new amount is transmitted to the Tripartite Council. The Committee also notes that a new tripartite agreement was concluded in June 2005 with a view to pursuing tripartite cooperation in various areas of employment and social protection, including the determination of the minimum wage. The Committee would appreciate receiving a copy of the 2005 Agreement on tripartite cooperation, and additional explanations regarding the possibility of signing tripartite agreements on minimum wages in case of necessity, to which reference was made in the Government’s report.

Article 5 and Part V of the report form. The Committee notes the statistical information concerning the number of inspection visits and the infringements observed in relation to the payment of the statutory minimum wage in the period 2001–06. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to supply up to date information on the practical application of the Convention, including for instance comparative statistics on the evolution of the minimum wage rates and economic indicators such as the inflation rate; the approximate number of workers or proportion of the country’s workforce remunerated at the minimum wage rate; copies of activity reports or surveys undertaken by the Tripartite Council, the tripartite Standing Commission on remuneration for work or other bodies responsible for matters related to wage policy and minimum wage fixing; and labour inspection results concerning compliance with the minimum wages in force.