Is it possible to mediate in labor disputes in the Lithuania legal system?

Baigiamojo darbo tema – „Mediacija darbo ginčuose“. Tokia tema pasirinkta dėl jos naujumo Lietuvoje. Alternatyvus ginčų sprendimas kitose valstybėse naudojamas jau ilgus dešimtmečius, tačiau Lietuvoje jis gyvuoja tik dešimtmetį, nors užuomazgų teisės aktuose buvo galima aptikti ir anksčiau. Ginčų sprendimas neteisminiais būdais įvairiose civilizacijose nuo pat seniausių laikų buvo pirminis, natūralus ir pats priimtiniausias konfliktų sureguliavimo būdas, nukreipiantis skirtingus ginčo šalių interesus į draugišką, abiem ginčo šalims naudingą bendradarbiavimą. Mediacija yra populiariausias ginčų sprendimo būdas iš alternatyvių ginčų sprendimo būdų dėl savo proceso savanoriškumo, paprastumo, greitumo ir ekonomiškumo. Tarptautiniu mastu mediacija yra įtvirtinta Tarptautinės darbo organizacijos konvencijose, kurios skatina neteisminį ginčų nagrinėjimą. Europos Sąjungoje taip pat yra dokumentų dėl mediacijos plėtojimo, tai Europos Parlamento ir Tarybos direktyva 2008/52/EB, Europos mediatorių elgesio kodeksas. Dauguma Europos Sąjungos valstybių, įskaitant Prancūziją, Vokietiją, Ispaniją, Graikiją ir Italiją, pasirinko legalistinio alternatyvių ginčų sprendimo skatinimo strategiją. Ši strategija paremta alternatyvių ginčų sprendimo sklaidos pamato – įstatyminės bazės formavimu. Darbe apžvelgiama trijų Europos Sąjungos valstybių (Ispanijos, Rumunijos ir Lenkijos) praktika taikant mediaciją darbo ginčams spręsti, aiškinamasi, kaip jos reguliuoja mediacijos procesą, kas gali vesti mediaciją. Pateikiami statistiniai duomenys rodo, kad mediacija darbo ginčuose šiose valstybėse pasiteisino. Darbe taip pat aptariamas neteisminis darbo ginčų nagrinėjimas Lietuvoje: kokius ginčus nagrinėja Darbo ginčų komisija (toliau – Komisija), iš kokių asmenų ji sudaroma, kaip priimami sprendimai, kokia yra įstatymus reglamentuojančių darbo komisijų veikla, kokie yra Komisijos privalumai ir trūkumai. Darbe pateikiami statistiniai duomenys apie ginčų sprendimą Komisijoje, apžvelgiama, kokie ginčai joje dažniausiai nagrinėjami bei pristatomas arbitražas, nagrinėjama, kokie ginčai gali būti sprendžiami darbo arbitraže, kiek trunka procesas, pradėtas arbitraže, aiškinamasi, kokie yra arbitražo privalumai sprendžiant darbo ginčus ir kokie asmenys gali vesti arbitražo procesą. Lietuva Europos direktyvos nuostatas dėl mediacijos naudojimo perkėlė į Mediacijos įstatymą, kurį išleido 2008 m. Tai pirmasis didelis žingsnis mediacijos plėtojimo Lietuvoje. Priimtas įstatymas nurodė asmenis, kurie gali būti mediatoriai, nustatė jų atsakomybę už netinkamai vykdomą mediaciją. Remiantis Europos Sąjungos dokumentais ir atliktos analizės apie kitose valstybėse naudojamą mediaciją išvadomis, galima pasakyti, kad Lietuvoje mediacija darbo ginčuose kol kas nėra populiari. Galbūt ateityje mediacija darbo ginčų srityje turėtų būti privaloma stadija, sprendžiant tokio tipo ginčus.Thesis topic is “Mediation in labor disputes”. Such a theme has been chosen for its novelty in Lithuania. Alternative dispute resolution, also known as out-of-court dispute settlement, is a dispute settlement mechanism involving a neutral third party that reconciles disputing parties. Benefits that make such dispute resolution so popular in the world and the disadvantages that make the process seem useless, were reviewed. Alternative dispute resolution has been used in other countries for decades - since 1960 started to be used in United States, when people began not to trust courts, which led to an alternative dispute resolution movement. In Lithuania it is used for about one decade, although it was possible to detect it in earlier legislation. Out-of-court settlement of disputes in various civilizations from the old times has been the primary, natural and most acceptable way of resolving conflicts, diverting the conflicting interests of the parties to a friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation. Mediation is the most popular way of resolving disputes through alternative dispute resolution, due to the voluntary nature, simplicity, speed and cost-effectiveness of their proceedings. Internationally, mediation is enshrined in the Conventions of the International Labor Organization, which promote out-of-court dispute resolution. It is in the UNICITRAL rules on conciliation as well. The paper examined how the situation in the European Union has changed in the field of mediation, whether mediation has been developed in the member states before Directive 2008/52 / EC on certain aspects of mediation in civil and commercial matters. When the directive was adopted, whether the states had to create a new dispute settlement institute. Alternative dispute resolution has moved to information technologies - the European Parliament and the Council have adopted Regulation no. 524/2013 “Concerning the electronic settlement of consumer disputes”, so the dispute can be settled remotely. Most European Union countries, including France, Germany, Spain, Greece and Italy, have opted for a legalistic alternative dispute resolution strategy. This strategy is based on the formation of a legal basis for disseminating alternative dispute resolution. The work reviews the practice of three European Union countries (Spain, Romania and Poland) in mediation in labor dispute resolution, how they regulate the mediation process, who can lead mediation. The statistics presented show that mediation in labor disputes in these countries has proved its worth. It was also discussed the out-of-court settlement of labor disputes in Lithuania: what disputes are held by the Labor Dispute Commissions (hereinafter the Commissions), from what persons Commissions is formed, how decisions are made, the work of Commissions regulating laws, the advantages / disadvantages of the Commissions. The work of the Commissions prior to the reform, which took place in 2017, when the new Labor Code of the Republic of Lithuania was adopted, which extended the scope of the Labor Disputes Commissions, was also examined. Statistics on the dispute resolution in Commissions are presented, what disputes are most often dealt with in Commissions. Labor arbitration is presented, what disputes can be settled here, how long the process last if started in arbitration, the advantages of arbitration in solving labor disputes, and about persons who can conduct arbitration proceedings. The similarity of arbitration to judicial proceedings is discussed. Lithuania has transposed the recommendations of the European Directive on the use of mediation into the Mediation Act, which was published in 2008. This was the first major step in the development of mediation in Lithuania, although it was possible to find mediation in labor law, as well as in the 2003 Labor Code adopted by the Republic of Lithuania. Accepted Mediation Law indicates persons who may be mediators, mediator qualification, determined their responsibility for meditation failure. The thesis provides an overview of the list of mediators what education and occupation they have to possess to be included into this list. According to international and European Union documents and the analysis of mediation in labor disputes conducted in other countries, it can be said that mediation in labor disputes in Lithuania is not popular yet. In the near future, mediation in labor disputes perhaps could be a mandatory pre-trial institution, as will be done in resolving disputes arising from family legal relationships from 2020 onwards. Comparative analysis of mediation application in Lithuania and Poland, Romania, Spain is the end of thesis was presented. As each state regulates this process, it sets requirements for both - the process of mediation and the individuals who want to become mediators. The paper deals with judicial and extrajudicial mediation, which can lead to out-of-court mediation. After studying the laws of foreign countries and Lithuania, articles, and other scientific literature, it was concluded that mediation in labor disputes is used quite successfully elsewhere, but in Lithuania this process is considered with some caution. However, mediation is becoming more and more popular in employment-related disputes. It remains only to make this process popular, so that labor dispute can be resolved peacefully.Teisės fakulteta