Employment, Estonia, Legislation, Transport

According to EMSA the agreement draft has two important conditions: monthly salaries should rise as of next year by at least 200 euros and seven additional paid vacation days should be given to workers.

"Transiidikeskus answered us via their lawyer that they already have an effective collective agreement and a new elected representative and therefore they see no reason to enter into a collective agreement with us," chairman of the EMSA board Juri Lember told BNS.

According to Lember the union will definitely turn to a public conciliator whose task would be to invite Transiidikeskus to take part in negotiations. "If that doesn't work, the plan to enter into a collective agreement will end, but at the same time our employees will probably have the right to strike," Lember said.

According to EMSA the salaries of the employees of Transiidikeskuse AS have not been raised since 2008. At the same time the company's owners have generously remunerated two members of the board whose monthly income has been 25,000-35,000 euros in the past few years.

Transiidikeskus announced at the beginning of November that 161 out of its 218 employees elected a new representative, Aleksandr Rodionov, with whom the management started a dialogue on labor relations and agreed the terms and conditions of a collective agreement.

The previous employee representative elected by EMSA and employees, Sergei Mastepan, was fired at the beginning of October over alleged repeated disciplinary breaches. EMSA sued the company over the dismissal.

EMSA and Transiidikeskus have sued each other over several allegations.