Strike cannot be ruled out after failure to reach Eesti Post wage deal

Postal workers are pushing for higher wages after Eesti Post rejected union proposals, and while turning to the state mediator, the main union warns that strike actions remain a possibility.
Postal workers have been demanding higher wages amid financial struggles at Eesti Post/Omniva, a state-owned firm, with unions pushing for a €200 per month increase, at a time when the company says it faces losses.
Eesti Post also says it hopes price hikes may help fund wage rises, though not to the tune of €200 per month.
Kadri Kangur, a spokesperson for the Pro ametiühing trade union, formerly the Sidetöötajate ametiühingu ja transporditöötajate ametiühing (Telecommunications workers union and transport workers union), said there are several reasons why wages should rise by a fifth.
Kangur noted that letter couriers earning the minimum wage mainly work outside major towns and in rural areas.
"They have to go out in all weather conditions, be it snow or rain. They get there and do their job," Kangur said.
The unions want their minimum wage to rise from the current €1,000 to €1,200, per calendar month.
The average base wage for postal couriers is €1,067, with an additional performance bonus of approximately €60 per month.
Kangur said that many former employees left their jobs when the work schedule changed, as it proved difficult to balance work and family life.
"Previously, working hours were Monday to Friday; now they are Tuesday to Saturday. As a result, many employees left their jobs when this change was implemented because it was difficult to balance work and family life," Kangur said.
The union leader said that if negotiations with the state mediator do not progress, strike actions by postal workers cannot be ruled out.
Eesti Post is seeking a strategy developer for approximately €200,000.
Mart Mägi, CEO of Eesti Post/Omniva, stated that the company has proposed raising the minimum wage by an average of €30, or three percent, adding it is not viable to raise it by €200.
Mägi noted that the company could potentially raise wages slightly more if Regional Minister Piret Hartman (SDE) would allow for an increase in postal service prices.

Mägi said that the universal postal service as it stands is unprofitable for Eesti Post, and the company faces financial challenges, including €1.5 million losses during the first nine months of last year.
"Our spending depends on prices too. Wages are, after all, a very significant part of our expenses," Mägi said.
Mägi also said that mail volumes are not increasing, as letters, packages, and periodicals again saw a decline last year.
Meanwhile, Kangur said that while Eesti Post aims to become an international company, this development should not come at the expense of Estonian workers.
The Competition Authority (Konkurentsiamet) has approved a proposal to raise postal service prices, suggesting a price increase from €1.30 to €2.20 for a standard letter.
The ball is now in the hands of Minister Hartman, who must decide whether to agree with the proposal.
Sigrid Soomlais, a deputy secretary general at the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, said the ministry is working on a broader process to ensure postal services are financially sustainable and is leaning toward not raising postal prices for now.
She said: "This is not part of the overall picture today. We want to focus on changing the entire system to prevent situations in the future where the service is unsustainable, and employees are not paid adequately."
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Editor: Johannes Voltri, Urmet Kook, Andrew Whyte