Persons who are legally employed under an employment contract or on other statutory grounds in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania shall, in accordance with the procedure laid down by the law, have the right to form trade unions and join them to defend their interests. Trade unions shall be voluntary, independent and autonomous organizations representing and advocating employees’ labour, economic, social rights and interests relating to their professions. State bodies, employers and their authorised representatives, managing bodies of enterprises, establishments, organisations, the administration, officials, political parties and other public organisations shall be prohibited from interfering with the internal affairs of trade unions. Trade unions may be established on the basis of professional, office, production, territorial, or other principles determined by the trade unions.
A trade union may be established if it has:
- no less than 20 founders, or the founders in the enterprise, establishment or organisation would comprise not less than one-tenth of all the employees (and one-tenth of all the employees would account for not less than three employees), and the articles of association are approved and the governing bodies are elected at the meeting of the trade union;
- the articles of association approved at the meeting;
- the elected governing bodies.
A trade union shall be considered to have been established from the day when the conditions specified are met.