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<< atgalDrivers requests partially met

2010-06-18

While the Driver trade union (VPS) has finally managed to win so that partially requirements of designed petitions would be met, but Ramunas Narbutas who leads the VPS trade union for nearly a year says that employers are still finding the ways to circumvent the law, - writes lprofsajungos.lt .

Labor relations regulation, as the new Government decree is a good tool seeking normal working conditions and transparent arrangements for wages payments, but employers do not like "truth seekers" and are trying to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Drivers' tade union collected signatures for eleven months for a petition, which requested the Government to withdraw a resolution foreseeing that the road vehicle crew members engaged in international passenger and freight delivery, may be paid 50 percent less per diem than other workers who go on trip abroad. They collected nearly 500 signatures, but this objective to change it has failed. But regulation of per diem payment arrangements become more detailed.
On April 27 "Official Gazette" published the Government Resolution No. 440, which stipulates that 50 percent of per-diem employer must pay in advance before leaving on a trip, unless otherwise noticed by collective agreement or employment contract. A full payment with the employee, who returned from the trip the employer must make not later than the date of payment of wages.
"Already on 28 April some companies already have been replaced employment contracts  of the drivers by stating that the daily allowance is not paid before the trip - says Mr. Narbutas . - But at least the payment order (payable on the day of salary payment - ed.) may not be altered in any way other than that specified in the Government decree. Previously, people were afraid to leave the job to not lose the thousands and 10 thousands of Litas, which was owed to them by employers because the period when accounts must be settled with the employee in full were not described. Now - back from the trip , you wait for the pay day. If per diem was not received you may already have a claim that the employer fails to comply with its obligations."
The driver has the right to refuse to go to the next trip, until he did not get previous per diem with salary payment and 50 percent of advance for future’s travel. The obligation to pay an advance solved the problem of the trip order. Previously head of company wrote the order often retrospectively, when the driver has returned from a trip. Thus, on a trip if something happens unfortunately, it can be seen that the driver went on a voluntary basis and the supervisor should not assume the responsibility. Now the order is based on advance payment to pay per diem.
"In short, the Government's decision is good, now we just need to explain to people that they use it. Eventually we will train employers to pay a daily subsistence allowance in advance and pay their staff on time. In the meantime, we draw the help from the Labour Inspectorate. We have already had several cases where inspectors made obligation that employers pay the workers," - says the Drivers union leader.
He said that about 90 percent of workers in the transport sector are ripped-off: "They are told that the pay is per kilometer based, orally agreed upon the rate, the drivers are trying, and sometimes even contrary to the work and rest regime, bigger distance. But employers really pay a salary plus an agreed daily allowance, which further reduced alleging the fact that the driver on trip used too much of fuel. We are trying to explain to people that they work for pay and per diem, not the mileage "- the experience is shared by R. Narbutas.
However, to be a "truth seekers" in the transport sector is not so simple. Employers remain quite hostile to those and trying to get rid of them as soon as possible. In addition, interference in union affairs is often: union members are turned against the chairman, the union orally discredited. Therefore, for some time they practice a secret membership (the employer doesn’t know that in his company are trade union members) only when number in the company increase, the decision is made to move to an open membership and announce to the employer about it.
 
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