Ministry of Social Security and Labour (Lithuania)



The Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos socialinės apsaugos ir darbo ministerija) is a government department of the Republic of Lithuania. Its operations are authorized by the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, decrees issued by the President and Prime Minister, and laws passed by the Seimas (Parliament). Its mission is to prosecute state social security and labour branch ruling functions and realize state policy in these branches. The current head of the Ministry is Monika Navickienė.

History
On 11 November 1918, the Republic of Lithuania established a short-lived Ministry of Public Works and Food Supply (Viešųjų darbų ir maitinimo ministerija). Its purpose was to address the dire social situation following the devastation of the World War I. It had three departments: social security, food supply and labour. However, on 29 October 1919 the ministry was merged into the Ministry of the Interior and its original departments were reorganized several times during the interwar period. The ministry and its departments were early institutions concerning the social welfare and are considered to be the predecessors of the present day Ministry of Social Security and Labour.