The idea was put to the Ministry of Finance under the previous government. State employees receive 35 days of annual vacation instead of the standard 28.

"Considering today's intentions to reduce the public service and cut costs, this would seem like a rather logical step. There is no inherent distinction that would warrant giving public sector officials an additional special status," said Mait Palts, the chamber's director general.

The ministry told the chamber the idea was interesting but needed analysis.

Former Minister of Finance Mart Võrklaev (Reform) told Wednesday's "Aktuaalne kaamera" the move has potential as it would save money.

"The work will be reorganized and a certain part of the people in the public service will also lose their jobs in the public sector. Of course, this savings will only occur in such a case; it would not happen on its own," said Võrklaev.

There are fewer than 30,000 civil servants in Estonia, but Võrklaev. said there are 130,000 state employees who receive 35 days of vacation. A reduction to 28 would see a considerable saving.

"Preliminary calculations indicate that the savings will be at least 50 million, as the 35 day leave policy, which has expanded from public service to state foundations, municipalities, and state-owned companies, has become quite widespread," he said.

However, Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi (Reform) does not support the proposal and said there are a lot of counter-arguments. One of these is that officials already have restrictions on their work.

"For example, striking is forbidden; for example, freedom of speech is restricted; for example, there is a constant obligation for public accountability — you cannot simply ignore ERR, you must always provide explanations about your actions, and you have to respond to letters regarding your work. There's also a continuous invasion of privacy, as everyone's salaries are publicly known," he told AK.

Salary surveys show most private-sector employees are also offered 35 days vacation a year from their employer, the minister said.

Junior coalition partners Eesti 200 and SDE do not back the idea.

"At the moment, this proposal has only been presented through the logic of an Excel table; it is not yet a fully argued case. In other words, we do not currently see the reasoning behind it — financial considerations cannot be the only argument for discussing these vacation days. Instead, we should be talking about how the rest of the people in Estonia could get the same amount of rest. That is really the direction we should be moving toward," said SDE chairman Lauri Läänemets.

Riigikogu member Peeter Tali (Eesti 200) said: "We need to get the state budget deficit below 3 percent somehow. That is why Eesti 200 is willing to discuss various cost-cutting measures. However, I am not entirely convinced that reducing officials' leave will bring significant savings. Right now, I see it more as a morale-damaging project for civil servants."

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