Cases of human trafficking and labour exploitation are on the rise in Lithuania. Last year alone, the number of instances involving foreigners who may have been exploited in the transport sector increased threefold.
An Uzbek, who asked to remain anonymous, says that starting work at one of the Lithuanian logistics companies was a mistake. According to him, he was promised the pay of 220 euros a day, but never got that money.
“At first, I got 120 euros. Later, 110 euros, then 100. And every time there were deductions, fines. They said that we wouldn’t have to pay for minor damage to the lorry, that the insurance would pay,” the man shared.
Over the last year, the Trade Union Alliance has examined around 1,100 cases where people, including couriers and long-distance drivers, may have been exploited for transport work.
According to Audrius Cuzanauskas, the alliance’s president, the situation has worsened as almost three times fewer such cases were reported in 2023.
“Taking into account the people who turn to the trade union, the documents that we analyse, we have a perfect image of the cases that are human trafficking and exploitation for forced labour,” he said.
The charity Caritas is currently working with almost 30 people who may have been affected by forced labour.
Caritas representative Ieva Čičelytė says that foreigners coming from Asia, who speak only their mother tongue and have little education, are easy prey for exploiters.
“You can give them anything to sign, you can ask them to pay for anything. For example, for different courses, for living in some place, for having a car accident, for breaking something at work. Then people get drained and are later told ‘goodbye’,” she explained.
The transport sector is one of the riskiest because of the high number of foreigners employed, notes Gediminas Noreika, a representative of the State Labour Inspectorate.
However, an increasing number of foreign workers are coming forward to defend their rights, which is a positive sign.
“There is no longer that fear of going to a public authority. When we talk to foreigners, they are often afraid to go to state institutions, they think they will all be deported,” Noreika said.
But Cuzanauskas of the Trade Union Alliance is critical of the public authorities.
“They call it just ‘cases’. Some misunderstanding, some miscommunication – certain ‘cases’. These are not ‘cases’, we are talking about 100,000–110,000 foreigners who work in the transport sector,” he said.
According to Social Security and Labour Deputy Minister Aušra Putk, the procedure for employing foreigners has been tightened since this year to ensure fair working conditions for newcomers.
“Employers are assessed to ensure that they have been in business for at least six months, that they do not engage in bogus activities, and that they were not penalised for various offences. There is a quota of almost 25,000 new arrivals this year. It does not apply to those who have arrived before,” she explained.
Last year, 13 third-country nationals were found to be victims of human trafficking in pre-trial investigations in Lithuania. Most of them worked in the transport sector.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
