Minister: basic pay for civil servants in Lithuania to go up by one euro

The basic pay rate for politicians, judges, officers, civil servants and other employees of budgetary institutions will not be restored to the pre-crisis 2009 level of 183 euros next year due to the coronavirus crisis and a drop in wages in the private sector, Social Security and Labor Minister Linas Kukuraitis says.

In his words, the rate will be increased only by one euro next year.

"In fact, yes, there was a political commitment to restore the basic rate during the parliament term but COVID-19 has changed the whole plans considerably, as well as funding possibilities. (…) We will probably not have a serious reason to increase it as much as we planned to," the minister told lawmakers.

Last year, the Seimas upped the basic rate for around 180,000 civil servants by three euros to 176 after raising it by two euros a year earlier.