Migration staff demand higher pay at parliament protest
Wednesday 11th November 2026 on 09:30 in
Lithuania
About 20 people protested outside Lithuania’s parliament on Wednesday, calling for higher salaries for Migration Department employees and additional funding for the agency in next year’s state budget, LRT reported.
The protest was organised by the Solidarumas trade union under the slogan “Do not destroy the Migration Department!” Demonstrators held signs reading “Our salary is like a benefit,” “We want the country’s average salary” and “We work for three, get paid for one.”
The union is seeking about 5 million euros in additional funding, including 4.6 million euros to raise employee salaries. Union chair Rūta Gerikienė said staff pay had remained unchanged for three years as inflation and the cost of basic goods and services rose. She said low salaries were prompting qualified specialists to leave.
Gerikienė said 43 percent of department employees take home between 940 and 1,100 euros a month, despite a growing workload. The union wants salaries to rise by about 30 percent next year and reach at least the national average.
Diana Ruseckytė, who works in the department’s Vilnius foreigners division, said some colleagues had taken second jobs and experienced specialists were leaving. She said her own salary was about 1,000 euros and that she was considering quitting. Ruseckytė, who is raising two minor children alone, said it was difficult to make ends meet.
MP Orinta Leiputė, who attended the protest, said the salaries were unacceptably low given the importance of the employees’ work. She said the possibility of additional funding was due to be discussed at a coalition council meeting on Wednesday, but she could not say whether the requested 5 million euros would be found in next year’s budget.
According to the department’s trade union, the Migration Department collected 45.36 million euros in fees for its services last year, while 37.31 million euros was allocated for its operations. Gerikienė said some of the revenue could be used to increase staff salaries.