Lithuania’s prison wardens in for salary raise

Trade unions say that the monthly wage should be raised by 150-200 litas (EUR 44-58), as promised by the minister.

“Next year’s budget envisages additional funding for the Prisons Department, therefore, there will be a possibility to raise salaries for the officers who get bottom-pay,” Bernatonis told journalists after a meeting with trade union leaders on Tuesday.

Tomas Vaitkunskas, the chairman of the Trade Union of Pre-Trial Investigation Institutions, has emphasized that the officers of penitentiary institutions get the lowest pay among all statutory services.

Vytautas Bakas, a member of the trade union, said that low salaries mean that under-qualified people are often hired to do the jobs.