LITHUANIA: NO REPORTS OF FORCED LABOR AND CHILD

UNCLAS VILNIUS 000339 SIPDIS DOL/ILAB RRIGBY, DEPT FOR DRL/ILCSR MMITTELHOUSER AND G/TIP SSTEINER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI LH SUBJECT: LITHUANIA: NO REPORTS OF FORCED LABOR AND CHILD LABOR IN THE PRODUCTION OF GOODS REF: SECSTATE 43120 ¶1. There are no reports of child labor or forced labor for the production of goods in Lithuania, according to NGOs and the relevant GOL agency that post consulted. There were reports of violations of the labor law that affected children in service industries, but most violations were not severe. ¶2. Lithuania's State Labor Inspectorate (SLI) conducted over 300 investigations of potential labor law infractions involving over 700 children in 2006 and the first six months of 2007 (more recent data is not available). Through its investigations, the SLI identified 232 violations of the labor law affecting children. Eighty-five percent of the children involved were aged 16-17. Fifteen percent of the children involved were aged 14-15. Approximately fifty percent of violations involved break time schedules -- i.e., employees did not allow legally employed children to take legally entitled breaks during working hours. Other violations included working late in the evening, hazardous conditions, and payment issues. Only five cases involved infractions that the SLI deemed serious enough to warrant transfer to the court system. CLOUD