Doing business in Lithuania: Staff welfare
27 April 2012by Ina Dimireva -- last modified 27 April 2012
This guide outlines the major social rules on staff welfare in Lithuania.
Advertisement
Legal requirements
The main social rules are laid down in the:
Social rules
Non-discrimination, equal treatment and gender equality
You cannot make discriminatory decisions based on nationality, religion or gender.
Equal treatment of men and women in the workplace means non-discrimination when hiring a new employee, providing equal pay and opportunities for career development, etc.
Law on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men
Health and safety at work
It is mandatory to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for every employee. It is the duty of the employer. The employer also finances employee health and safety measures in a business.
Law on Safety and Health at Work
Every business must assess professional risk.
After professional risk has been assessed, a business must prepare and approve a plan of measures to eliminate and reduce risk.
Rules for the Assessment of Professional Risk
The State Labour Inspectorate performs prevention of accidents at work and professional illnesses in businesses, and controls the observation of legal acts regulating health and safety at work.
Legal acts regulating health and safety at work
Social insurance of employees working on the basis of a contract and of self-employed persons is regulated by the Law on State Social Insurance.
Types of social insurance:
- pension social insurance;
- sickness and maternity social insurance;
- unemployment social insurance;
- accidents at work and occupational illness social insurance;
- health insurance.
Persons working on the basis of an employment contract are mandatorily insured with all types of social insurance.
Self-employed persons, except those who engage in individual activities on the basis of a business certificate, are mandatorily insured with pension social insurance and maternity social insurance.
Persons who receive income on the basis of an author's contract are mandatorily insured with pension social insurance, sickness and maternity social insurance, and health insurance.
Law on State Social Insurance Pensions
Law on Sickness and Maternity Social Insurance
Law on Unemployment Social Insurance
Law on Social Insurance of Occupational Accidents and Occupational Diseases
Persons who are mandatorily insured with pension social insurance have the right to accumulate a part of pension social insurance contributions in pension accumulation companies.
State Social Insurance Fund Board
Labour law
Labour protection
Employees who lose their jobs can receive unemployment insurance benefits.
These benefits can be received by an unemployed person who was insured with unemployment insurance for at least 18 months over the last 3 years.
Unemployment benefits are paid if the person has registered as an unemployed person in a labour exchange, and the labour exchange could not offer employment appropriate to their professional qualification and state of health nor offer active labour market policy measures to them.
How long unemployment insurance benefits are paid depends on how long the person was insured with unemployment insurance.
Information about social insurance of employees
Information about unemployment benefits
Mandatory social rules complete the requirements related to managing staff.
Businesses are free to go beyond the minimum social legal requirements at their own initiative.
Administrative procedures
Non-discrimination, equal treatment and gender equality
Every natural and legal person has the right to submit a complaint to the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman concerning a violation of equal rights.
A complaint may be submitted within 3 months of the actions subject to the complaint. The investigation of a complaint must be completed and the complainant answered within 1 month.
Office of Equal Opportunities Ombudsman
Health and safety at work
The procedure of professional risk assessment in businesses is established in the Rules for Professional Risk Assessment.
Professional risk assessment is to be carried out with the help of
- the health and safety service of the business' employees;
- risk factor investigation/measurement institutions certified by the State Public Health Service under the Ministry of Health;
- employee health and safety specialists.
The risk posed to the employees by every factor of the work environment (chemical, physics-related, biological, ergonomic, psycho-social and physical) must be assessed.
When a risk is determined, Professional Risk Determination Cards must be filled out for every subject of risk assessment.
Data in Professional Risk Determination Cards must be summarised and a Passport of the State of Employee Safety and Health of an Enterprise of a set form must be filled out.
After professional risk has been assessed, a business must prepare and approve a plan of measures to eliminate and reduce risk, in accordance with which, risk prevention measures are to be implemented.
Rules for the Assessment of Professional Risk
The State Labour Inspectorate provides consultations to employees, their representatives, labour unions, and employers, as well as to business employee health and safety services and committees.
Social insurance
To obtain social insurance, you must:
- register with the State Tax Inspectorate ;
- pay social insurance contributions ;
- provide information to administrative institutions of the State Social Insurance Fund.
Obtaining state social insurance is described on the following SODRA portals:
You can also submit explanations electronically.
Online service system for the insurers
Programmes
State Social Insurance Fund finances may be used for the prevention of accidents at work and occupational illnesses.
Source: Your Europe
