Latvia - Union escalates rights dispute with forestry company - August 31, 2026

The independent trade union LVM DNA at state forestry company "Latvijas valsts meži" (LVM) formally initiated collective labour rights dispute procedures, after prolonged failed attempts to establish genuine social dialogue with management. The union had already sent an open letter to LVM’s board in February 2025 warning about risks in a planned reorganisation and staff-selection process, later escalating concerns to the Agriculture Ministry. An LVM board member accused the union of being used "as a tool to test and discredit the enterprise" through media pressure. Trade union confederation LBAS rejected this framing, insisting that defending workers’ rights is not sabotage but a legally mandated social-dialogue partnership, and called on the state-owned company to negotiate in good faith rather than treat unionisation as a threat.

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