Former mayor warns against firing Tallinn's Center Party supporting staff
Chairman of the Center Party Mihhail Kõlvart, who resigned as mayor of Tallinn after a vote of no confidence this week, warned the new ruling coalition against firing workers based on their party affiliation.
"If there is now a threat that people are going to be let go without a day's notice on the basis of party affiliation, I would remind the new coalition that this is a violation of rights and unconstitutional," Kõlvart told ERR on Thursday.
"If the current coalition starts with a slogan that contains unlawful intentions, that is a pretty bad sign. No one even has the right to investigate [people's] political party affiliation in order to make employer decisions on that basis," he stressed. "Dismissing people on the basis of party affiliation is a direct violation of rights and I hope no one will do it," he added.
Kõvart said many people working at the council support different parties. "The Center Party has never made personel choices on this basis, threatened anyone or demanded a change of party affiliation," he noted.
"And here's where some parties, not some, but one particular party has actually been quite active in increasing the number of party affiliates in the city system over the last year," the former mayor said.
Kõlvart said he meant former coalition partner Social Democratic Party (SDE) when asked by ERR.
After the vote of no confidence on Tuesday, SDE, Reform, Isamaa and Eesti 200 agreed to form a new coalition. Negotiations are likely to start next week.
Some former opposition politicians highlighted the large number of Center Party members in jobs under the city's authority and promised to break the "Center Party food chain".
Until Tuesday, Center had governed Tallinn, mostly with a majority, for almost two decades.
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Editor: Mait Ots, Helen Wright