Unions warn of protest over proposed pay rises for officers

Lithuania’s National Association of Officers’ Trade Unions (NPPSS) says the proposed 2027 budget falls short of the funding needed to raise officers’ salaries and warns that it may organise a protest outside the Government, LRT reported.

The budget allocates about 35 million euros for pay rises for police officers, border guards, firefighters and rescue workers, and Public Security Service staff. The agencies have identified a need for almost 86.4 million euros in additional funding, according to NPPSS.

The association said the Police Department needs an extra 52.53 million euros, the State Border Guard Service 17.68 million, the Fire and Rescue Department 12.3 million, and the Public Security Service 3.88 million.

NPPSS also disputed Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas’s reference to a 7.52% increase in the wage bill, saying that figure already includes a 2.5% rise in the basic salary coefficient set out in the National Collective Agreement. For many officers, the union said, the increase would amount to only 100 to 120 euros a month, raising questions about its value after price rises.

The association said the wage fund must also cover mandatory payments for night shifts, work on public holidays and overtime. It called on the Government to ensure officers stay in service rather than seek other jobs, citing Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius’s earlier remarks that some officers were leaving.

NPPSS is calling for entry-level salaries for statutory officers to reach at least 1,500 euros net a month. It said the budget is still under consideration and called for concrete decisions rather than further promises. The unions warned that officers could protest outside the Government if the situation does not change.

Five-year plan remains theoretical

In August, NPPSS board chair Ineta Kursevičienė said Sinkevičius had confirmed that a five-year plan to increase officers’ pay and improve working conditions would be prepared soon. However, she said work on the plan had not yet begun.

Kursevičienė told ELTA on Thursday that NPPSS had asked the prime minister to appoint officials and establish a joint working group. The union was referred to the Ministry of the Interior, which asked trade unions to nominate representatives. She said no dates had been set and the relevant institutions had not been included in the group.

After the Government approved the 2027 budget draft, Katelynas said officers’ salaries were expected to rise by an average of about 7.5%, or roughly 128 euros net a month. He also said current funding did not meet all the needs of the statutory services and that the Government would continue looking for additional funds.