This report looks at industrial relations systems across 25 EU Member States and seven global economies: Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan, South Africa and the US. It explores the most significant effects of globalisation, including labour market flexibilisation, increasing labour migration
This report compares the various flexicurity options across 25 Member States – including models of best practice – while looking at how flexicurity is measured in these countries and identifying the challenges related to its implementation in the different countries. It explores the three pillars of
The project on Social Dialogue Capacity Building at sectoral and company levels is a follow-up of a similar project held at a national level in 2005. The methodology used included carrying out interviews with members of the nationally recognised representative organisations of employers and
This paper analyses the capacity of Estonia’s social partners to effectively engage in social dialogue at various levels. The paper forms part of a wider, comparative project, managed by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Ireland) and the Work Life
This report reviews the main results from the third Estonian Working Life Barometer, carried out in October 2005. It outlines the general situation of workers and the workplace in Estonia, and covers topics such as employment contracts and working time, pay developments, intensification of work
This report is part of a series of projects from the Foundation which focuses on aspects of industrial relations in the run-up to enlargement. The national report for the Estonia is part of the second phase of a project on ‘Social dialogue and EMU’ carried out by the Foundation in 2002-3, in
The phenomenon of undeclared work - defined as 'any paid activities that are lawful as regards their nature but not declared to the public authorities'- is an issue which has been preoccupying the EU institutions for a number of years. In 1998, the European Commission issued a Communication [1] on
In Estonia, social dialogue and collective bargaining at sectoral level is not very common and most bargaining takes place at enterprise level (EE0309102F [1]). However, in the road transport sector, social dialogue is relatively developed at both sectoral and enterprise level, compared with other
In early June 2004, the government presented a new 'concept' for labour market measures. The objectives of the document drawn up by the Ministry of Social Affairs (Sotsiaalministeerium [1]) are to: achieve the highest possible employment rate among the working-age population; prevent long-term
The Working and Rest Time Act, which entered into force in January 2002, currently regulates working time in Estonia. The general normal working time for workers must not exceed eight hours per day and 40 hours per week. Reduced working time is established for employees younger than 18 years
In March 2004, the EIRO national centres in 24 European countries were asked, in response to a questionnaire, to give a brief overview of their country's system for dealing with individual labour/employment disputes through the courts, along with data on: the volume of cases; the costs; the
About 50 customs officers held a picket for an hour and a half in front of the government offices on 27 May 2004 and presented to the government an appeal calling for more resources and priority to be given to the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (Maksu- ja Tolliameti) - which was created in January
This article provides an overview of the legislative framework for the various types of employment and work contract in Estonia, and of the extent to which they are used in practice.
A general election was held in March 2003, resulting in the left-of-centre Estonian Centre Party (Eesti Keskerakond) and the right-of-centre Res Publica party (which was founded in December 2001), gaining a roughly equal share of the vote (25%). A new government was formed by Res Publica, the right
On 13 April 2004, the Confederation of Estonian Trade Unions (Eesti Ametiühingute Keskliit, EAKL [1]) (EE0308101F [2]) and the government started bipartite negotiations over wage conditions for civil servants for 2005. EAKL’s aim was to attain a pay rise of 20% for civil servants for 2005 in 25
A draft Gender Equality Act was drawn up by the Ministry of Social Affairs [1] and adopted by the government in 2001. After the first parliamentary reading in March 2002, the draft was referred back to the Constitutional Committee. After parliamentary elections in March 2003, an amended draft was