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Latvia - Compensation & Benefit Legislation

CAPITAL

Riga

 

CLIMATE

Maritime. Wet, moderate winters.

 

LANGUAGES

Latvian or Lettish (official), Lithuanian, Russian and other.

 

LEGAL SYSTEM

Based on civil law system.

 

CURRENCY

Latvian Lat (1 USD = 0.63368 LVL as of March 15, 2002)

 

LATVIA - COST-OF-LIVING

ERI's Relocation Assessor is a recommended source for cost-of-living data.

 

LATVIA - EMBASSY/CONSULATES

U.S. Embassy at Riga

7 Raina Boulevard

LV-1510

Riga, Latvia

APO AE 09723

Riga, Latvia PCS 8

Telephone: [371] 7-03-6200

Fax: [371] 7-820-047

http://www.usembassy.lv/

 

Embassy of Latvia at Washington D.C.

4325 17th Street N.W.

Washington D.C. 20011

Telephone: (202) 726-8213

Fax: (202) 726-6785

E-mail: embassy@latvia-usa.org

http://www.latvia-usa.org/

 

LATVIA - HOLIDAYS

 

LATVIA - LEAVE

Annual Leave: Minimum four weeks annual leave each year.

 

LATVIA - MINIMUM AGE

The statutory minimum age for employment of children is 15 years, although children between the ages of 13 and 15 years may work in certain jobs outside of school hours.

 

The law restricts employment of those under the age of 18; for example, by banning night shift or overtime work.

 

(Section 6.d. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Latvia – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

LATVIA - MINIMUM REMUNERATION

The monthly legally mandated minimum wage 60 lats (approximately $98). This wage is far below the amount that trade union officials describe as the bare minimum necessary for survival. The minimum wage does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family.

 

(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Latvia – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

LATVIA - REMUNERATION

ERI's Geographic and Salary Assessors are recommended sources for international remuneration covering 189 countries.

 

LATVIA - REPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES (2001, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE)

Section 6 Worker Rights

 

a. The Right of Association

 

The law stipulates that workers, except for the uniformed military, have the right to form and join labor unions of their own choosing, and the Government generally respects this right in practice; however, the Government's ability to protect the right to organize in the private sector is weak. Union membership is approximately 240,000 out of a workforce of 800,000. Free elections for union leadership are held every 4 years.

 

The law does not limit the right to strike, but there were no major strikes during the year. The law bans the dismissal of employees who have invoked the right to strike. No cases of such dismissals were reported.

 

Unions are free to affiliate in confederations, and there is one such confederation in the country. Unions also are free to affiliate internationally and have established contacts with European labor unions and international labor union organizations.

 

b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

 

Labor unions have the right to bargain collectively and are generally free of government interference in their negotiations with employers. Collective bargaining agreements are common, and are negotiated by industry or company. The law prohibits discrimination against union members and organizers. While not widespread, discrimination occurs within individual companies.

 

There are no export processing zones.

 

c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor

 

The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor; however, trafficking in women for prostitution is a problem (see Section 6.f.). Inspectors from the Ministry of Welfare's State Labor Inspection Board or Inspectorate are responsible for enforcing the law.

 

The law prohibits forced and bonded labor by children; however, trafficking in young girls for prostitution is a problem (see Section 6.f.).

 

d. Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for Employment

 

The statutory minimum age for employment of children is 15 years, although children between the ages of 13 and 15 years may work in certain jobs outside of school hours. The law restricts employment of those under the age of 18; for example, by banning night shift or overtime work. State authorities are lax in their enforcement of child labor laws.

 

The Government has not ratified ILO Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labor.

 

The law prohibits forced and bonded child labor; however, trafficking in young girls for prostitution is a problem (see Section 6.f.).

 

e. Acceptable Conditions of Work

 

The monthly legally mandated minimum wage is approximately $98 (60 lats), far below the amount that trade union officials describe as the bare minimum necessary for survival; it does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. The actual average monthly minimum wage (the calculation of which includes wages of part-time employees and agricultural workers) is $260 (164 lats).

 

The Labor Code provides for a mandatory 40-hour maximum workweek with at least one 42-hour rest period weekly, 4 weeks of annual vacation, and a program of assistance to working mothers with small children. The laws establish minimum occupational health and safety standards for the workplace; however, these standards frequently are ignored. Workers have the legal right to remove themselves from hazardous work situations without endangering their continued employment; however, these standards also frequently are ignored in practice.

 

f. Trafficking in Persons

 

There is no law that specifically prohibits all forms of trafficking, although in May 2000, the Criminal Code was revised to make it illegal to send forcibly a person to a foreign country for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Trafficking in women for the purpose of prostitution was a problem.

 

Latvia is primarily a country of origin and transit for trafficked victims rather than a destination, although no exact statistics are available. The main countries of destination are Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom, and to a lesser extent Cyprus and Israel. Statistics released by European police services indicate that the number of Latvian women involved as victims of trafficking increased.

 

 

LATVIA - SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security Office of International Programs:

 

http://www.ssa.gov/SSA_Home.html

 

LATVIA - STANDARD WORKWEEK

The Labor Code provides for a mandatory 40-hour maximum workweek with at least one 42-hour rest period weekly.

 

(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Latvia – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)