Lithuanian jobs are increasingly being taken over by foreigners. Employers assure that Lithuanians no longer want to work in certain jobs, such as drivers. At that time, the representatives of the employees noted that Lithuanian companies exploit foreigners, force them to work in unsuitable conditions and for lower wages. That is why working conditions are not improving for Lithuanians either.
Recently there was a report that in Vilnius public transport the Transrevis company employed foreigners from Ghana who transported passengers without the necessary licenses.
Vilnius municipality company "Communication services” ("Judu") issued a denial that the drivers have all the necessary licenses and permits.
However, the most popular profession in Lithuania (we have almost 80 drivers) is increasingly being chosen by foreigners, and Lithuanians themselves do such work abroad. And trade union representatives say that this is because our people do not want to work under any conditions and for any salary.
Are the conditions the same for all?
The company providing public transport services in Vilnius "Vilnius public transportShe also claimed to the tv3.lt portal that all her drivers work with all permits and licenses.
"This is not even a debatable issue. Only drivers with the required licenses and the required driving categories work in our company. In more detail, all drivers have category D and the 95th code for passenger transport.
Before starting work at "Vilnius in public transport"drivers take theoretical and practical tests in our driving center. They also do internships together with the instructor. Only after going through all these processes and receiving positive evaluations can they start working independently", said Gintarė Žalytė-Štarienė, the head of the company's communication and marketing department.
In addition, she noticed that the company mostly employs Lithuanians.
"The majority of newly employed drivers are Lithuanian citizens. However, recently we have also been recruiting drivers from other countries. This aims to ensure the necessary number of drivers for passenger transport.
The working conditions are absolutely the same for all drivers, regardless of their nationality," the company's representative assured.
Too many foreigners?
At that time, Audrius Cuzanauskas, the deputy chairman of the trade union of Lithuanian transporters, noticed that companies were bringing in more and more foreigners, and Lithuanian drivers were becoming hostages of this situation.
"Companies bring so many workers that the Migration Department simply cannot cope with such a large number of arrivals. There is a lack of greater control, which is why violations occur when drivers work without the necessary documents," commented the representative of the transporters' trade union.
According to A. Cuzanauskas, workers coming from third countries come to Lithuania for very large loans.
"In order for people to come to Lithuania, they have to pay about 3 thousand. euros. And this is a lot of money, because the average salary in their countries is only 200 euros. Therefore, newcomers have to take credits.
And when they come to Lithuania, they try to earn money not only for the family, but also to cover the credit. Therefore, if such an employee loses his job, he tries to get a job anywhere just to earn money", said the representative of the carriers.
Working illegally
According to A. Cuzanauskas, employers prepare employee selections in Lithuania.
"Therefore, they do not employ all foreigners who arrive. That is why illegal work is growing, because immigrants who have not found a job will resort to anything.
There is a lack of responsibility on the part of employers and institutions. After all, documents must be filled out everywhere in two languages - English and Lithuanian. And do newcomers from Kazakhstan, Belarus or Africa speak Lithuanian or English? A lot of documents need to be filled out, the employee himself cannot do it without knowing the language", commented A. Cuzanauskas.
According to him, hiring foreigners harms Lithuanian drivers.
"Lithuanian workers lose the opportunity to negotiate for higher wages. Therefore, drivers must agree to all company terms or quit.
Foreigners do not understand labor law, they agree to sign anything and work under any conditions. Thus, both become hostages of employers", said A. Cuzanauskas.
Lithuanians don't want to work anymore
Romas Austinskas, president of the Lithuanian national car transporters' association "Linava", calculated that Lithuanian transport companies bring employees from 24 countries around the world. According to him, most people come from Belarus, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
He claimed that companies do this because Lithuanians do not want to work as drivers.
"Employees are brought by companies because the Lithuanians working as drivers are already of a respectable age. They will soon be retired. And young people don't want to work as drivers. Usually young people have families and they don't want to go on business trips for 4 weeks or more.
Therefore, Lithuanians do not and will not work in this job. Therefore, people from other countries also come to work as drivers. They come here to make money," said the president of the association.
Companies are proposed to be punished
R. Austinskas denied that companies bring foreigners because they can pay them lower wages.
"This is a myth. The transport sector is strictly regulated and there are collective agreements. We cannot pay a foreigner less than a Lithuanian," the president of the association assured.
However, he did not rule out the possibility that not all companies follow the rules and obey the law.
"Anything can happen. However, here it is up to the institutions to find out such things and to punish the companies that behave in this way. Perhaps the company should be punished more and more often. Then offenses should decrease, and the transport sector would become transparent.
Our association stands for transparent business and equal competitive conditions", assured R. Austinskas.
Author: Vilija Mačiulskytė, TV3.lt
