Centre of Trade Unions (political party) explained

Country:Lithuania
Centre of Trade Unions
Native Name:Profesinių sąjungų centras
Leader:Kęstutis Juknis
Headquarters:Laisvės al. 46, Kaunas
Ideology:Trade union interests[1]
Position:Right-wing
Membership:2,233 members (2024)[2]
Seats1 Title:Seimas
Seats2 Title:European Parliament
Seats3 Title:Municipal councils and mayors

The Political Party "Centre of Trade Unions" (Lithuanian: Politinė partija "Profesinių sąjungų centras") is a minor political party in Lithuania founded in 2008. It was founded by the initiative of the trade union Sandrauga. The party has not achieved success in elections in Lithuania and cooperates with right-wing parties.

History

The party was founded with 1260 signatures in 2008. It elected Kęstutis Juknis, chairman of the Sandrauga trade union, as its leader. The country's three national trade union centers - the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation, the Lithuanian Labour Federation and Solidarity - distanced themselves from the party, claiming that it collates trade union activity with political party activity.[3]

The party was mainly active in Kaunas and participated in municipal elections in Kaunas and Kaunas District Municipality in 2011[4] and 2015.[5] It did not win a single mandate.

In 2016, it joined Naglis Puteikis, 2014 presidential election candidate and former Homeland Union member of the Seimas, and journalist Kristupas Krivickas in the "Anti-Corruption Coalition" (Lithuanian: Antikorupcinė N. Puteikio ir K. Krivicko koalicija). A wide coalition of anti-establishment parties, it was also joined by the Lithuanian Centre Party, the Lithuanian Pensioners' Party, the Lithuanian Christian Democracy Party, and former National Resurrection Party member Ligitas Kernagis.[6] Though the coalition received 6.32% of the vote, it did not reach the 7% threshold required for multi-party coalitions and did not win proportional seats.[7]

The party ran candidates on the list of the People and Justice Union in the 2024 European Parliament election in Lithuania.[8]

Platform

The party claims that its goal is to defend the interests of trade unions and the working class.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Steigti partiją apsisprendė įkurti ir profsąjungos . Delfi . lt . 25 June 2009.
  2. News: Skėrytė . Jūratė . Per pusmetį padaugėjo partijoms priklausančių asmenų, „Drąsos keliui“ gresia likvidavimas . LRT . 9 March 2024 . lt . 1 April 2024.
  3. Web site: Atsiribojo nuo politinės partijos „Profesinių sąjungų centras“ veiklos . Lietuvos švietimo profesinė sąjunga . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304125528/http://www.svietimoprofsajunga.lt/naujienos/?npg.121%3Bnid.227%3B%2F . 4 March 2016 . lt . 9 June 2008.
  4. Web site: Politinė partija „Profesinių sąjungų centras“ . Supreme Electoral Commission of Lithuania . lt . 2011.
  5. Web site: Politinė partija „Profesinių sąjungų centras“ . Supreme Electoral Commission of Lithuania . lt . 2015.
  6. Web site: VRK įregistravo N. Puteikio ir K. Krivicko koaliciją . Delfi . Lithuanian . 18 August 2016.
  7. Web site: 2016 m. spalio 9 d. Lietuvos Respublikos Seimo rinkimai . Supreme Electoral Commission of Lithuania . Lithuanian . 31 October 2016.
  8. Web site: Kęstutis JUKNIS . Supreme Electoral Commission of Lithuania . lt . 2024.