Effect given to the recommendations of the committee and the Governing Body - Report No 325, June 2001

Case No 2078 (Lithuania) - Complaint date: 14-DEC-99 - Closed

Effect given to the recommendations of the Committee and the Governing Body

1. 44. The Committee last examined this case at its meeting in March 2001 when it requested the Government to take the necessary measures to amend the Act on the Settlement of Collective Disputes so as to ensure that the workers’ and employers’ organizations concerned participated in the determination of the minimum service to be provided and, in the event that no agreement is reached, to ensure that the matter is settled by an independent body. In the meantime, the Committee requested the Government to ensure that Decision No. 1443V was revoked and that any further requirement of minimum services in the event of a strike be determined in consultation with the workers’ and employers’ organizations concerned. Furthermore, the Committee requested the Government to amend or clarify section 13 of the Act on the Settlement of Collective Disputes so as to ensure that it was not used to restrict the right to strike in practice beyond what is permissible under accepted principles of freedom of association. Finally, the Committee requested the Government to keep it informed of any new developments in the negotiations taking place at the Vilnius bus and trolleybus enterprises [see 324th Report, paras. 592-622].
2. 45. In a communication dated 10 May 2001, the Government indicates that the Supreme Court of Lithuania reviewed the appeal of the Vilnius Bus Depot, Ltd and upheld the Court of Appeals ruling that the motor-transport workers strike was legal. A collective agreement was signed at the enterprise on 6 February 2001 and there is no collective dispute at present. A new agreement is now being negotiated and the Government states that it will continue to provide information of the results in this regard.
3. 46. The Committee takes due note of this information, in particular the Supreme Court’s confirmation of the legality of the strike. It recalls however that its previous recommendations further indicated the need to amend the Act on the Settlement of Collective Disputes so as to ensure the participation of the workers’ and employers’ organizations concerned in the determination of any minimum services and the need to revoke Decision No. 1443V which set out the minimum service for passenger transportation services in Vilnius. The Committee requests the Government to keep it informed of the progress made in this regard.