The Works Council Election Has Started at Vilnius University

Since the term of office of the Works Council of Vilnius University has expired, pursuant to the provisions and requirements laid down in the Labour Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the election of a new Vilnius University Works Council is being held.

The nomination of candidates for the Works Council will take place from 26 January 2023 to 13 February 2023 in accordance with the following:

• every employee that has been working at Vilnius University for no less than three months may nominate one candidate by submitting a free-form request to the Works Council Electoral Commission to include that person on the candidate list;
• only employees that have been working at Vilnius University for longer than six months shall be nominated;
• one may nominate another employee or themselves. If the nomination is for another employee, a free-form consent agreement signed by the candidate shall be submitted alongside the request to include that person on the candidate list;
• the request to include a person on the candidate list and, when another employee is nominated, their consent agreement shall be submitted to the Works Council Electoral Commission by sending scanned or photographed copies of these documents by e-mail to between 26 January 2023, 09:00 and 13 February 2023, 17:00.

The Works Council election will take place on 9 March 2023 by electronic vote. Every employee who has a right to vote will receive an electronic voting ballot in their VU mailbox. Employees who have not recently used their official Vilnius University e-mail address, have forgotten or have not updated their login credentials, or have other difficulties accessing their VU mailbox are recommended to urgently contact their unit’s IT specialists or their supervisors.

The 2023 Works Council election is organised by the Works Council Electoral Commission, which is formed pursuant to the Order of the Rector of Vilnius University. If you have any questions regarding the registration of candidates or other matters relating to the Works Council election, please submit them by e-mail to . All the information on the Works Council election is published on the Vilnius University website and on the Intranet under Works Council election 2023.

The Vilnius University Works Council will be composed of 11 members:

• ten members elected from the candidates nominated by the University’s academic and non-academic employees who have the right to vote. Every employee that has the electoral right may nominate one candidate (themselves or a fellow employee);
• one member from a candidate list proposed by the trade unions acting at the employer’s level. Trade unions hold the right to nominate no less than three candidates.

All members of academic or non-academic staff at Vilnius University, 18 and over, who have been working at Vilnius University no less than six months, are eligible for the status of Works Council member candidate, except for the employer or representatives of the employer under the law, the delegation of powers, and the founding documents (i.e. the Rector, the Pro-Rectors, the heads of the core academic units), and members of the Works Council Electoral Commission.

Candidates to the Works Council members may be nominated and voted for at the Works Council election by all Vilnius University employees who have been employed for no less than three months, except for the employer or representatives of the employer under the law, the delegation of powers, and the founding documents (i.e. the Rector, the Pro-Rectors, the heads of the core academic units).

The Works Council is an independent body which represents all employees, and its members are elected from among the employees of the organisation.

The main functions of the Works Council and its members are to take part in the informing and consulting procedures, pursuant to the Labour Code of the Republic of Lithuania. Informing encompasses the Works Council’s right, in cases specified and in accordance with the procedure set out in the Labour Code of the Republic of Lithuania, to receive information on the work, social, and other conditions of the employees of the employer. Consulting means that, in cases specified in the Labour Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the Works Council has a right to submit its opinion and receive the reasoned opinion of the employer regarding the setting of work, social, and other conditions for the employees