Algirdas Sysas

Algirdas Sysas (born 5 March 1954 in Vilnius, Lithuania) is a Lithuanian social democratic politician and trade unionist. He is the Deputy Speaker of the Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania since November 2012 and Deputy Chair of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) since 2009. Prior to political activities, Sysas was the leader and initiator of the independent Lithuanian trade unions.

Sysas first studied radio-electronics and graduated Vilnius Polytechnic College in 1973. After three years of compulsory service at the Soviet Navy (Military Maritime Fleet of the Soviet Union), he continued his studies at Faculty of Economics at Vilnius University. He graduated in 1982 receiving a diploma in Labour Economics.

Sysas started his professional career as a worker at a radio measurement device factory. In 1976 he joined a company producing magnetic tape recorders VILMA. From worker to head of shop, and subsequently deputy head of a major division, Sysas was elected chairman of the factory trade union in 1987. From 1989, he led the independent Lithuanian Metalworkers' Union as its elected Chairman, and a year later he organised and chaired Unification, the independent Lithuanian Trade Union. As the Soviet Union was crumbling and Lithuania was regaining political independence, the Unification was cooperating and supporting the independent Social Democratic Party. Finally, Sysas lead the consolidation of the Unification and another major national Trade Union Centre to become the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation.

In 1995 he was elected at Vilnius municipal elections as a trade union candidate listed on the Social Democratic Party list, and worked at the municipal Social Affairs Committee. In 1996 he was listed as a non-party member on the Social Democratic Party list and was elected for the first time to the Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament), where Social Democrats won 9 seats. Sysas was re-elected in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 (five consecutive mandates). He joined the Social Democratic Party in 2006.

Sysas belongs to the inter-parliamentary relations groups with Austria, China, France, Germany, Japan, North European countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden), Poland and Romania.

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