Unions express no confidence in Tamašunienė over crisis in penal system

Trade unions have declared no confidence in acting Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė due to the critical situation in Lithuania’s penal system, LRT reports.

The Lithuanian Republic’s Pre-Trial Investigation Institutions’ Trade Union (LRITĮPS), the Vilnius County Pre-Trial Investigation Institutions’ Trade Union (VAITĮPS), and the Trade Union Centre have addressed President Gitanas Nausėda, Social Democratic Party leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius, and the party’s parliamentary group in the Seimas with their statement.

According to the unions, Tamašunienė has failed to ensure effective management of the penal system and can no longer continue in her role. They argue that the system has been in a “critical state” for some time, with prison modernisation projects stalling, a “catastrophic” shortage of staff, non-competitive wages, and the ministry failing to secure even minimal necessary funding while ignoring pressing issues.

“Today, we are no longer talking about individual decisions by the minister. We are talking about systemic inaction. The shortage of staff is becoming increasingly acute, infrastructure projects have been delayed for years, people are working in worsening conditions, and the ministry, led by the minister, is playing at paper reforms,” said Vitalijus Jagminas, chairman of VAITĮPS.

The unions claim that over the past year, they have repeatedly submitted concrete proposals to the Justice Ministry on staff recruitment, motivation, working conditions, infrastructure renewal, and system financing, but no changes have been implemented.

“The impression is that the ministry not only does not listen to the community of officers but also deliberately does not want to listen. Meanwhile, multi-million infrastructure projects are delayed, officers are leaving en masse, and those who remain face increasing workloads. In this way, the state itself is weakening the penal system and threatening its future,” said Kęstutis Pauliukas, chairman of LRITĮPS.

The unions stress that responsibility lies not only with the minister but also with the ruling majority that appointed her. If their arguments continue to be ignored, they do not rule out taking protest action.

Sinkevičius, the prime minister-designate, has stated that he still believes Tamašunienė can address the problems in the prison system. “I may have received the letters, but I haven’t had a chance to review them yet. Once I do, I currently have no doubts that Rita Tamašunienė can handle all the system’s issues and address the demands or problems raised by the trade unions,” he told journalists.