In a letter to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Estonian Confederation of Trade Unions criticises the proposal to significantly change the regulation of working time for minors. The ministry wants to include the amendments in the pending draft Employment Contracts Act (602 SE). Although the draft law does not concern minors, it seeks to include provisions to increase the maximum working time allowed for young people working during school holidays.
According to the trade union confederation, the proposals would change the working and rest conditions of minors in a way that is in direct contradiction with the European Union's Directive 94/33 on the protection of young workers and international conventions. For example, the amendments would allow young people aged 15 to work eight hours a day and 40 hours a week, whereas under current law the maximum working time for minors should not exceed seven hours a day and 35 hours a week.
According to the trade unions, the changes are also not in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and ILO Convention 138, which states that underage work should be a secondary activity, not the main activity. They also criticise the fact that the amendments have been drafted without involving the social partners.
The Confederation stresses that the aim of the legislative changes should not be to allow maximum working hours for the lowest possible pay, but to protect young people from excessive workloads and focus on education.
The Confederation of Trade Unions calls on the Legal Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu not to merge the proposals of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications with the draft and instead to start a comprehensive analysis to modernise the rules on underage employment.
