Masso, Märt

The national minimum wage agreement for 2019, a proposal to make the labour law more flexible and a plan to establish an occupational accidents insurance system are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Estonia in the third quarter of 2018.

The Estonian government has proposed several changes to its pension system, including tying the retirement age to life expectancy and making the state pension less dependent on income. All interest groups will be kept informed and consulted during the preparation of the draft legislation, when the social partners will have formal opportunities for consultation.

A new three-year sectoral collective agreement for bus drivers, concerns about transposition of the Enforcement Directive, and social policy reforms are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Estonia in the third quarter of 2016.

Changes to labour market laws to make it easier to hire workers (especially ICT specialists) and a focus on ways to reduce the gender pay gap are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Estonia in the second quarter of 2016.

Developments in Working Life in Europe is part of a series of annual reviews published by Eurofound and provides an overview of the latest developments in industrial relations and working conditions across the European Union and Norway.

​​The Ministry of Social Affairs has published two studies, one on sickness absence and the other on the occupational disability compensation system, as part of the government's drive to reduce the level of absenteeism at work. The studies suggest that a reformed compensation system should motivate employers to offer suitable work to employees with disabilities and to encourage a timely return to work after sickness.

Measures to identify and prevent mental health problems among workers in Estonia have been recommended by a new report. About one-third of people with an occupational disability in Estonia have mental health problems. Labour market policies, however, have so far neglected this group.

The step-by-step reform by the government of the Estonian incapacity to work policy will transform the measures that activate people with partial loss of capacity for work and support their participation in the labour market. Although triggering considerable public debate, the government is willing to continue with the reform despite its alleged shortcomings.

Legislation covering employment relations in Estonia was reformed in 2009 and, three years later, the Employment contract act survey was carried out to evaluate how this new policy had been implemented. The survey analyses employees’ and employers’ awareness of their rights in employment relations and the implementation of the minimum conditions (provided for in the act) to ensure employment protection and quality. Employees’ satisfaction and their willingness to pay for an unemployment safety net were also studied.

At the end of March, the Estonian parliament adopted an amendment to the Labour Market Services and Benefits Act proposed by the government. The amendment is designed to prevent members of a board of management or supervisory body of a legal entity from receiving labour market services and unemployment benefit. Previously, the act stated that board members shall not be registered as unemployed if they are being paid for their role on the board. In exceptional cases, a person who is a member of the management or supervisory body of a non-profit association or foundation could register as unemployed if their remuneration for such work amounted to less than half of the national minimum wage.