Estonia, Financial Services, Legislation, Strike, Transport, Wages

The picket in Tartu will take place in the parking lot of the Nolvaku bus stop and the picket in Parnu at the regional bus lines terminal, the Transport Union said.

The chairman of the board of the Transport Union, Ullar Kallas, said that the union has terminated the collective labor agreement with Sebe and is no longer obliged to maintain labor peace. He described the pickets as the first step in drawing attention to the problem.

"The negotiations on the collective agreement have become protracted," Kallas said, adding that there was agreement between the parties on most items save for a pay increase.

"The wish of the bus drivers is to continue working in Estonia and to get a remuneration that is consistent with the responsibility connected with their work. Sebe bus drivers are demanding a monthly pay of 1,000 euros for normal hours, to which the extras called for by the law would be added," the union leader said.