Estonia - Union protest over reckless contract changes - November 30, 2025

Trade unions gathered in Tallinn to protest proposed amendments to the Employment Contracts Act. The proposed law effects employees whose contracted hours are not fixed at a weekly rate. These contracts are common in fields such as healthcare, where hours and demand can vary. Changes to the Act would only guarantee workers ten hours of work per week, with any additional hours left to the discretion of the employer. Union leaders warn that the change would lead to serious income instability. According to the Estonian Confederation of Trade Unions (EAKL), the minimum conditions in the draft law could result in a monthly income of just € 266 for some workers — well below the subsistence level.

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For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu.
You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.