Workers’ rights: Lithuania
Lithuania actively hires drivers from Central Asia, Belarus and Ukraine, and it is here that the 'minimum wage in the contract, the rest as per diems' scheme is most common. Below is what the Lithuanian Labour Code guarantees and where to turn: the labour inspectorate advises for free, including in Russian.
- Contract: before you start and registered with Sodra
- Pay: at least €1,153, and more for a driver
- Leave and sickness
- Dismissal and residence permit
- Damage and deductions: at most three months' pay
- EU rules: they apply in this country too
- Where to turn
Warning signs
- Your passport or licence was taken ‘for safekeeping’.
- No written contract, or you are asked to sign something other than promised.
- Pay in cash without a payslip, or ‘minimum wage plus per diems’.
- You are asked for money for the job, the visa, a ‘deposit’, or a ‘debt’ is deducted from your pay.
- You are made to drive over the limits or on someone else’s tachograph card.
- You are threatened with deportation if you complain or quit.
None of these takes away your rights. Keep messages, photograph documents and contact the places below. A complaint does not cost you your residence permit.
Contract: before you start and registered with Sodra
Law: Darbo kodeksas (DK) 42–44 str.- A written contract in two copies is signed before work starts, and the employer must register you with Sodra no later than the day before your first working day. You can check this in your Sodra account.
- A foreigner is entitled to the contract and working time records in a language they understand. Probation of no more than 3 months.
Pay: at least €1,153, and more for a driver
Law: DK 141 str., Vyriausybės nutarimas dėl MMA 2026- The minimum monthly wage in 2026 is €1,153 gross (€7.05 an hour). Under the Labour Code the minimum may be paid only for unskilled work; a CE driver with Code 95 is a skilled worker and must be paid above it.
- Per diems (dienpinigiai) are expense compensation, not wages. The '€1,153 in the contract and €2,000 as per diems' scheme means sick pay, holiday pay and pension are calculated on €1,153, and in a dispute you can prove only that amount.
- Wages at least twice a month (once a month only at your written request), with a payslip. Overtime ×1.5, night work ×1.5, weekends ×2, public holidays ×2.
Leave and sickness
Law: DK 126 str., Ligos ir motinystės socialinio draudimo įstatymas- Leave of 20 working days a year on a five-day week. Holiday pay is paid before the leave starts; untaken leave is paid out when you leave.
- Sickness: the employer pays the first 2 days (62.06% to 100% of pay), from day 3 Sodra pays 62.06%. An electronic sick note from a doctor is required.
Dismissal and residence permit
Law: DK 55–57 str., 220 str.; Įstatymas dėl užsieniečių teisinės padėties- You can resign with 20 calendar days' notice (5 days in case of illness or other valid reasons). A 'debt' for visa and ticket cannot hold you.
- The employer dismisses without your fault with 1 month's notice (2 weeks with under a year's service) and severance of 2 average salaries (0.5 under a year). Disputes go to the Labour Disputes Commission at VDI free of charge; the deadline is 3 months.
- A temporary residence permit is tied to the employer. On dismissal notify the Migration Department; changing employer is possible with its permission, the new employer applies via MIGRIS. Do not wait: without work the permit can be revoked.
Damage and deductions: at most three months' pay
Law: DK 150, 153–154 str.- An employee is liable for damage up to three average monthly salaries, except for intent, intoxication or a crime. A 'full liability' agreement for the truck is void.
- Without a court order only overpayments, advances and unearned leave may be deducted, at most 20% a month. Company fines for lateness, fuel use or scratches are illegal.
EU rules: they apply in this country too
Driving and rest times: one rule for the whole EU
Law: Регламент (ЕС) 561/2006, Директива 2002/15/ЕС- After 4.5 hours of driving, a 45-minute break (15 + 30 allowed). No more than 9 hours a day, 10 twice a week. No more than 56 hours a week and 90 in two weeks.
- Daily rest of 11 hours (9 hours up to three times between weekly rests). Weekly rest of 45 hours; a reduced 24-hour rest must be compensated.
- The regular weekly rest may not be taken in the cab; the employer pays for accommodation. Every 4 weeks (or 3 after two consecutive reduced rests) the employer must organise your return home or to the operating base.
- The tachograph card is personal. Never lend it and never drive on someone else's card: fines and a driving ban hit you personally.
- Employers may not pay bonuses for distance or delivery speed that encourage violations (Art. 10 of Reg. 561/2006). A schedule that cannot be met without violations is the employer's violation.
- A driver's working time (driving + loading + ordered waiting) averages at most 48 hours a week, maximum 60. With night work, at most 10 hours per shift.
Pay of the country where you work: posting rules for drivers
Law: Директива (ЕС) 2020/1057 (Mobility Package), Директива 96/71/ЕС- For cabotage (domestic runs in another country) or transport between two countries neither of which is your company's country, you are entitled from day one to the pay rules of the country you drive in: its minimum wage, supplements, allowances.
- Bilateral runs (from the company's country and back) and transit are not covered.
- The employer must file a posting declaration in the IMI system and give you a copy. If you work permanently from another country and are employed 'at home' only for cheaper pay, that is a letterbox company and the law is on your side.
You do not pay for a job: not an agent, not an employer
Law: Конвенция МОТ № 181 (ст. 7), национальные законы о занятости- Charging a worker for job placement is prohibited or strictly limited in EU countries. A 'job fee', 'visa deposit' or 'runaway insurance' is a sign of fraud.
- No one may keep your passport or driving licence 'for safekeeping'. The passport always stays with you; a copy is enough for the employer.
- A 'debt' for tickets and paperwork deducted from your pay for months, and a ban on quitting until it is worked off, are signs of forced labour. That is a crime in every EU country; contact the hotline linked below.
You must receive your working conditions in writing
Law: Директива (ЕС) 2019/1152 о прозрачных условиях труда- Within 7 days of starting: place of work, job, pay and how it is paid, working time, probation, leave, notice periods. The rest within a month. If there is no document, demand it; it is your right.
- Probation of no more than 6 months. A second job may only be banned for objective reasons (e.g. safety and driving/rest rules).
- Training the employer must provide by law or contract (e.g. periodic Code 95 training) is free and counts as working time.
If you are from outside the EU: permit and changing employer
Law: Директива (ЕС) 2024/1233 о едином разрешении- The single permit gives the same rights as local workers: equal pay, working conditions, health and safety, social security, union membership.
- The recast (2024/1233, to be transposed by May 2026) allows changing employer by notifying the authority and keeping the permit for up to 3 months without a job (6 months if you have held it over two years). Countries implement this differently; check the country part below.
- A complaint to the labour inspectorate does not cost you your residence permit. An employer who threatens 'deportation' over a complaint is breaking the law.
Where to turn
Valstybinė darbo inspekcija (VDI)
State Labour Inspectorate: free advice on +370 5 213 9772 in Lithuanian, Russian and English, complaints online. Its Labour Disputes Commission decides wage and dismissal disputes free of charge and without a lawyer.
Lietuvos transporto saugos administracija (LTSA)
Transport Safety Administration: driving and rest times, tachographs, haulier licences.
Lietuvos Raudonasis Kryžius
Lithuanian Red Cross: free help for migrants, including victims of labour exploitation, in Russian and English.
Lietuvos vežėjų profesinė sąjunga
Lithuanian drivers' union: advice and representation in disputes with hauliers.
Your Europe Advice
Free EU legal advice on your rights when working in another EU country, reply within a week, in all EU languages.
European Labour Authority (ELA)
Information on the rights of posted and mobile workers by country and contacts of national inspectorates.
Official sources
- Darbo kodeksas (e-tar.lt)
- LRV: minimalioji mėnesinė alga 2026
- VDI: konsultacijos
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EC) 561/2006
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2020/1057 (posting of drivers)
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2019/1152 (transparent working conditions)
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2024/1233 (single permit)
This is a general overview, not legal advice. Checked on 25/10/2026. Amounts and deadlines change: verify via the links to official sources.
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