Working Life Barometer in the Baltic Countries 2002 (pdf) - mol.fi

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The movement has been unable to find its own place, and it has not been successful
in gaining the confidence of the public at large as a promoter of wage
earners' interests.
INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS
The wage earners were also asked whether any collective agreements existed
at their workplace. As expected, there are considerably more collective agreements
in public-sector workplaces than in the private sector. It is nevertheless
interesting to note that collective agreements do exist in some private-sector
workplaces even though the trade union movement is not represented in them
and neither do they have any employees who belong to a trade union. At some
workplaces, the employer and employees have themselves taken the initiative
in making collective agreements, without the involvement of outsiders. This,
too, points to the fact that the trade union movement has not been able to legitimate
itself to any great extent.
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS EXIST IN WORKPLACE
37%
19%
38%
26% 26%
Public sector Private sector All
31%
17% 17%
Latvia Lithuania Estonia
The wage earners were asked what was the main way in which they negotiated
at their workplace about their wages, holidays, the duration of their employment
contracts, work safety, and their working hours. With the exception of
22%