The Tripartite Council of the Republic of Lithuania (TC) was set up on 5 May 1995 following an agreement on tripartite partnership between the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, trade unions' and employers’ organisations for the purpose of solving social, economic and labour issues and promoting social harmony.
Currently the legal framework of the Lithuanian TC is set outin the Labour Code of the Republic of Lithuania which came into force on 1 July 2017.
The TC is a body, which advises the parliament and the government on socio-economic and labour matters.
The TC discusses issues and presents conclusions and proposals in the areas of labour, social and economic policy, as well as on matters that must be considered in accordance with Convention No 144 of the International Labour Organisation.
The TC sits for a four-year term and consists of 21 members:
– 7 representatives delegated by national-level trade unions;
– 7 representatives delegated by national-level employers’ organisations;
– 7 representatives delegated by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
Trade unions and employers' organisations who wish to be members of the TC shall comply with the representativeness criteria set forth by the Labour Code.
The chairperson of the Tripartite Council is elected for a six-month term by agreement of all the parties and presides over the Council's activity on a rotation basis.
The constituent bodies of the TC are the plenary meeting and the permanent and temporary commissions.
The Tripartite Council Coordination Unit in the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania implements the secretariat functions for the TC.
The TC currently consists of 5 permanent committees and commissions, which also include members of non-governmental organisations. The permanent TC's commissions are:
– the commission for labour relations;
– the commission for wage policy;
– the committee for culture;
– the committee for education and
- the bipartite commission of civil servants.
The Tripartite Council establishes temporary commissions to solve individual problems or to prepare conclusions and recommendations as the situation requires.
The functions and rights of the Lithuanian Tripartite Council as well as the procedure for organising its work are established by the Regulations of the Council.
The TC considers policies in social, economic and labour areas and has the right to adopt decisions and submit conclusions and recommendations to the Government and the Seimas (the Parliament), to conclude tripartite agreements, to receive the information necessary for the work of the Lithuanian TC, and to invite representatives of the parties as well as experts to its meetings and hear them out on matters within their competence. The recommendations and decisions are issued in the plenary meetings which are held regularly - usually once a month. These recommendations are not binding.
The Council adopts decisions on a consensual basis. All undisputed proposals from the Council's members are recorded in the part of the minutes concerning the decision. In the event of failure to reach an agreement, differing opinions are reflected in the minutes of the session. The Council may agree to hold additional discussions on an issue, if no agreement is reached.
The decisions of the Tripartite Council are signed by its chairperson and secretary.
The Tripartite Council Coordination Unit in the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania is responsible for preparing and organising the Council's acitivities.