The Management Board of AS “Latvijas valsts meži” (LVM) today approved and signed a social dialogue agreement with “LVM darbinieku neatkarīgā arodorganizācija” (DNA), an autonomous unit of Latvijas Meža nozares arodbiedrība. Latvijas Meža nozares arodbiedrība represents employees of a range of companies working in the sector.

LVM and DNA have approved the text of the agreement in a working group. LVM expects that DNA, the autonomous unit of Latvijas Meža nozares arodbiedrība, will understand and observe the company's values, which for more than 15 years have set and characterised LVM's day-to-day work and its employees' conduct, mutual cooperation and communication within the company.

As reported earlier, a collective agreement was concluded at LVM last autumn, demonstrating LVM's care for its employees and its openness to cooperation and social dialogue. The collective agreement was drawn up and concluded by the company's trade union “LVM Cilvēkam un Mežam”, which brings together LVM employees only. The collective agreement was submitted to a general meeting of employees for approval, and 969 employees, or almost 70% of the entire workforce, took part in the vote. 965 employees voted in favour of the collective agreement and 4 voted against it, and as a result the collective agreement was approved in accordance with the applicable regulations.

At the same time, during this period, outright false claims by outside organisations have repeatedly been aired in public about LVM's supposed unwillingness to cooperate and its lack of interest, along with unfounded suggestions that the company, as the employer, encouraged the formation of the second, in-house trade union. The convincing vote by employees, however, demonstrates a high level of trust in both contracting parties – in the employer, LVM, and in the company trade union that brings together the company's employees.

LVM calls on both organisations – the company trade union “LVM Cilvēkam un Mežam” and DNA, the autonomous unit of Latvijas Meža nozares arodbiedrība – to find a form of cooperation that will allow a single dialogue and joint representation of employees, affirming that social dialogue means partnership with the employer; at present, however, we have received information about DNA's activities that suggests the opposite.

LVM is one of the best employers in Latvia, with a strong internal culture, as confirmed by various annual surveys, working environment studies and the recognition the company has received. In LVM's case, social dialogue and cooperation are not merely a dialogue about compliance with occupational safety standards, a minimum level of welfare or compliance with labour law, all of which are at the highest level at LVM. For LVM, social dialogue means development both for the organisation and for its employees, and development in turn means stability and the opportunity to work in a modern organisation, creating added value and security for Latvia.