Tadas Vinokuras begins working as the new Deputy Minister, with Aušra Putk, Rita Grigalienė, and Deimantė Bukeikaitė continuing their roles as deputy ministers from the previous government. Elžbieta Žurovska-Puodžiūnienė takes on the role of Chancellor of the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, having previously led the Prime Minister’s Office. Ignas Algirdas Dobrovolskas becomes the Minister’s press representative, having worked as an advisor in the government until now. Jekaterina Navickė will serve as the Minister’s advisor on social support, social insurance, and pension issues, having previously been an advisor to the Prime Minister.
Read more Thursday «Group It»: can you group 16 words into 4 categories?
“The Ministry of Social Security and Labour is one of the most sensitive state institutions because decisions made here directly affect people’s daily lives. I believe we will responsibly continue our work and implement new important changes in the social sector,” says Minister I. Ruginienė.
Chancellor Elžbieta Žurovska-Puodžiūnienė
For the past one and a half years, E. Žurovska-Puodžiūnienė has worked as the head of the Prime Minister’s Office. She has also served as a parliamentary faction referent, advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and advisor to a member of parliament.
E. Žurovska-Puodžiūnienė holds a master’s degree in Information Management from Vilnius University and a bachelor’s degree in Modern Technology Management from the Faculty of Physics.
Deputy Minister Tadas Vinokuras
T. Vinokuras previously worked as an advisor to the Prime Minister and was also part of former Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas’s team. He has also served as a press representative for the LSDP. Deputy Minister T. Vinokuras will oversee social insurance, pensions, cash benefits, and housing support at the ministry.
T. Vinokuras graduated with bachelor’s degrees in Musicology and Philosophy from Berklee College of Music in the USA, holds a master’s degree in Arts and Politics from Goldsmiths, University of London, and is currently a doctoral candidate in political science at the same university.
Deputy Minister Aušra Putk
A. Putk has work experience at the Ministry of Social Security and Labour. Before becoming deputy minister, she worked as an advisor to the minister and was actively involved in labor law, work environment, labor market, and youth policy areas.
Previously, A. Putk headed the Social Dialogue Department at the ministry, where she developed social dialogue and collective bargaining, corporate social responsibility policies, coordinated the activities of the Lithuanian Tripartite Council, negotiations on the National Collective Agreement, and implemented various projects. The deputy minister contributed to significant labor law changes – conducting academic research and preparing proposals for labor law acts at Vilnius University Faculty of Law, which were incorporated into the Labor Code adopted in 2016.
A. Putk holds a master’s degree in law (specializing in labor and social security law) from Vilnius University Faculty of Law.
Deputy Minister Rita Grigalienė
R. Grigalienė has extensive professional experience, including nearly a decade in the public sector and 7 years in a non-governmental organization, where she managed issues related to domestic violence prevention, gender equality, and human rights. In 2024, she received an award from the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania for contributions to human rights.
The deputy minister will continue to oversee the protection of the rights of people with disabilities, assistance and prevention of domestic violence, ensuring equal opportunities, promoting gender equality between women and men, family and child rights protection, and work in the field of European Union investments.
R. Grigalienė graduated from SMK University of Applied Social Sciences, earned a bachelor’s degree in law from Mykolas Romeris University in 2005, and a master’s degree in public administration from Kaunas University of Technology in 2012.
Deputy Minister Deimantė Bukeikaitė
D. Bukeikaitė has led one of the largest national non-governmental organizations, “Lithuanian Caritas,” where she worked for 14 years and has over 14 years of experience in the NGO sector. She actively contributed to and participated in addressing the pandemic, later illegal migration, the war crisis in Ukraine, receiving Ukrainians fleeing the war in Lithuania, providing humanitarian aid to those remaining in Ukraine, and helping Lithuanians overcome poverty and exclusion in regions.
The deputy minister will continue to oversee social services, social care institutions, migration, and NGO policy issues.
D. Bukeikaitė holds master’s degrees in social work and public administration.
Minister’s Advisor Jekaterina Navickė
Until now, J. Navickė worked as an advisor to the Prime Minister. Previously, she served as an advisor to the Minister of Social Security and Labour and before that coordinated policy formation and implementation activities in the SADM Strategic Decision Support Group. J. Navickė gained professional experience at the University of Essex Institute for Social and Economic Research in the UK, the Lithuanian Social Research Centre, and the NGO sector.
Additionally, J. Navickė is an associate professor at the Department of Social Policy at Vilnius University. She earned a PhD in sociology from Vilnius University, defending her dissertation in 2015 on the role of cash social benefits in reducing poverty in Lithuania.
Minister’s Advisor (Press Representative) Ignas Algirdas Dobrovolskas
I. A. Dobrovolskas previously served as the Prime Minister’s press representative and before that held the same position in the Minister of Social Security and Labour’s team.
Since 2022, I. A. Dobrovolskas was a business news journalist at ELTA and became the agency’s business news editor in 2024.
In 2022, I. A. Dobrovolskas earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Vilnius University Institute of International Relations and Political Science and completed a master’s degree in international relations and diplomacy in 2024.
Read more One of the most popular routes – train tickets up to 40% cheaper
