Unions have said that the agreement is satisfactory in principle, but looked for more changes in favour of medical professionals.
"The agreement is much needed. It has its pros and cons – we wanted a bit more of the pros, but we managed to negotiate as much as we did. The key minus is that we have negotiated salaries for next year and the raise, and in March we will be negotiating again for 2026. It will not be the case that if the minimum monthly wage increases, our salary will increase as we will have to renegotiate every year. This is one of the bigger downsides," Rūta Kiršienė, chair of the Lithuanian healthcare Workers’ Trade Union, said ahead of the signing on Monday.
She also said the union welcomes the introduction of health promotion days.
"I am also happy about nurses as the ministry has committed to reviewing nursing caseloads. Those loads are no longer bearable in some places. So hopefully they will be reviewed and regulated," the union leader said.
The collective agreement also lays down obligations for employers to provide more funding for professional development and to create a working environment that ensures psychological well-being, according to the ministry.
"In addition to the pay rises already identified, we have a change in the pay formula specifically for nurses, which will allow the pay floor to be increased by an additional 10%," Health Minister Aurimas Pečkauskas said.
The first collective agreement with all health unions was signed in November 2021 and is in force until the end of 2024. It includes commitments on remuneration, social security and other areas.
The ministry has noted that the new sectoral collective agreement ensures the continuity of the agreement signed in 2021, and adds to the list of guarantees applicable to members of the signatory trade union organisations.