By Lukas Juozapaitis, LRT.lt.

Following a social media incident in which a Belarusian trolleybus driver refused to speak Lithuanian with a Vilnius public transport (VVT) dispatcher, the city’s mayor, Valdas Benkunskas, has announced plans to propose a language training programme for employees of municipal companies.

The mayor said the initiative would support third-country nationals who have come to work in Vilnius and currently lack motivation to learn Lithuanian.

“At the next city council meeting, I will propose a language training system for employees of municipal companies, with appropriate funding. The city administration could cover the costs for these companies to ensure staff learn Lithuanian to at least a basic level,” V. Benkunskas said in a statement to the media on Tuesday.

The incident, reported by LRT RADIO on Sunday, involved Belarusian activist Andrejus Paukas, who has lived in Lithuania for five years and works as a trolleybus driver in Vilnius. He reportedly refused to speak Lithuanian with a dispatcher at the trolleybus park, and a video of the exchange was posted online.

Mayor Benkunskas described the driver’s actions as “absolutely intolerable” and said it demonstrated a lack of respect for both the Lithuanian language and VVT employees.

Read more: LRT.LT