VILNIUS, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania's ruling politicians are giving "empty promises" while claiming that an agreement with employers should be signed to ensure constant wage increase for employees, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said on Thursday.
She was reacting to the Lithuanian Greens and Peasants Union's (LZVS), one of two ruling parties, and their initiative to sign a tripartite agreement among authorities, employers and professional unions to ensure regular pay rises for employees.
"The intention is not bad; the wish that businesses oblige and start to see employees from different angle is not bad. However, is it possible to force private businesses to implement wage increase by agreements and nice declarations? No," Grybauskaite told reporters, according to local website Delfi.lt.
She stressed that all guarantees for employees must be envisaged in the country's new labour code, rather than separate "side" agreements.
Tomas Tomilinas and Virginijus Sinkevicius, two lawmakers from LZVS, said in a press conference on Thursday that their party would not endorse the new labor code which anticipates simplified terms of redundancies if employers do not increase wages.
It is expected that the new, heavily debated Lithuanian labour code will come into force as of July 1.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis pledged that the new legislation will take effect as planned as this was agreed at the tripartite council, an advisory body concluded of representatives of employers, trade unions and the government.
"I can firmly say that the LVZS discussed its position together with the coalition partners and the new labour code will take effect on July 1 with all the amendments agreed at the Tripartite Council," Skvernelis was quoted as saying by news agency Elta after a meeting on Thursday with representatives of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists.
