Background information

According to the Law on Remuneration of Employees of State and Municipal Institutions and Remuneration for Work to Commission Members, employees of budgetary institutions may be granted bonuses for particularly important tasks – the amount of the bonus shall be equal to one fixed component of the official salary (€176 in 2020). In this connection, the Minister for Social Security and Labour issued a recommendation to mayors of municipalities to pay one-off bonuses to employees of social service institutions who, during quarantine, provide social services to elderly or disabled people, families at social risk and children at residential institutions. These bonuses would provide some support for workers who are in direct contact with social service recipients and are therefore at a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Content of measure

The Minister for Social Security and Labour issued a recommendation to mayors of municipalities to pay one-off bonuses to employees of social service institutions who, during quarantine, provide social services to different groups of people. According to the Minister for Social Security and Labour and the Minister for Finance, expenditure for employees of social service institutions should be included in the costs of municipalities and their subordinate institutions/agencies, as incurred in relation to the state of emergency and quarantine declared by the Government, and subsequently reimbursed. Although the provision of social services and the remuneration of employees in this field fall within the area of municipal activities, reimbursement of the award of bonuses by the Government would prevent a negative effect on municipal budgets.

Use of measure

There are approximately 8.2 thousand employees working in state and municipal social service institutions in Lithuania. The bonuses are estimated to require about €4 million.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Particular professions	Does not apply to businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Local / regional government Public support service providers	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Consulted	Consulted
Form	Direct consultation outside a formal body	Direct consultation outside a formal body

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Unknown
• Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

N/A

Views and reactions

Only ad hoc consultations with social partners; tripartite meeting has not been held

Sectors and occupations

Sources

• 07 April 2020: Vyriausybė kompensuos premijų mokėjimą socialiniams darbuotojam (www.ve.lt)