Employers Probe Legality of Work Stoppages
Employers who suffered economic losses from March strikes by a number of trade unions gathered on April 17 to discuss the legality of the work stoppages.
In March, teachers across the nation engaged in a three-day strike, demanding a 20 percent minimum pay rise. The educators’ strike came coupled with supporting strikes by several other trade unions representing transport and railroad workers, seamen, healthcare workers and broadcasting technicians, among others.
After the strikes, Employers’ Confederation members Eesti Energia and Estonian Railways both turned to the courts to determine whether organizing strikes in companies with no union labor disputes is in accordance with the law.
National conciliator Henn Pärn told ETV that the trade unions acted against the principles of a supporting strike because they started putting forward their own demands instead of supporting the educators.
During the meeting, the Employers’ Confederation presented the Ministry of Social Affairs with a package of proposals concerning the development of a new version of the law on collective labor disputes, ETV reported.
Ingrid Teesalu