Lithuanian employers transport workers from Asia. Why?

"Inga Ruginienė, chairwoman of the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation, assured that the trade unions were opposed to the new list of missing professions, stating that low-skilled specialties should not be included in the list of missing professions. "After all, that list is not for that at all. The primary purpose of compiling it was to attract highly qualified employees with special abilities to Lithuania, who are difficult to train in Lithuania. If there is a shortage of such employees and we cannot prepare them, we can invite them from other countries. It is applied all over the world, but Lithuanian employers, using it, suddenly expand the list of missing employees to the lowest level of skills," - said I. Ruginienė.

 

According to the data of the Employment Service, there are currently almost 177 thousand people in Lithuania. registered unemployed, and there are about 40 thousand vacancies. That’s more than 6 people applying for one vacancy. There has already been a call from employers to bring in workers from Central Asian countries who do not speak Russian or English. "Does that mean there is a shortage of workers? From those statistics, we see that only four out of 10 workers have a chance of finding a job.

 

Is that how it is due to staff shortages? We have been approached many times by people who cannot find work in the transport sector, even though companies claim to have many vacancies. They are unequivocally told that Lithuanians are not wanted. The fact is that the EU requirements for everyone are the same and the salary cannot be lower than in other European countries," - said I. Ruginienė. Lithuanians are familiar with the Labor Code, which is not always to the advantage of the employer.

 

It is said that even Ukrainians with Belarusians are not very desirable because they are quite educated and know how to demand their rights. "Therefore, there has already been a request from employers to bring workers from Central Asian countries who do not speak Russian or English. We have officially heard this in the Tripartite Council. To our knowledge, they are already being transported.

 

I’m not saying you need to close the country and let nobody in. We will certainly not survive in a vacuum, but our goal is to make working in Lithuania attractive not only for third-country workers, but also for Western European workers. Why don't they come to us? Because no one wants to work in the conditions that employers offer them today. And this is not the problem of the last six months," - I. Ruginienė assured.

 

According to the trade union representative, Lithuanian employers should improve working conditions and raise wages in order to achieve employee loyalty, but are reluctant to do so. "This was also the case in 2007, when there were free meals in some workplaces due to a shortage of workers. Now the situation is similar. An employer needs to raise standards, and how is it done? "Retaining profits and bringing in an employee from a third country that may not make such demands. Today, employers are choosing this path, which is cheaper," -  taught I.Ruginienė."