Kaia Vask, the new chairman of the Central Union of Estonian Trade Unions, invites all employees to join the union, because together employees can change both the work organisation and working conditions.

In addition to membership growth, the new union leader wants to contribute to increasing the coverage of collective agreements. Vask considers growing the membership of trade unions by increasing the organisational capacity of trade unions to be the biggest challenge.

Kaia Vask said that in the coming years a lot of energy will have to be put into concluding collective agreements, especially field-based collective agreements. "In countries with high coverage of collective agreements, both the average salary and the minimum salary are at a very high level. This ensures satisfaction and a sense of stability for both society and each individual employee," explained Vask and added that the example can be taken from the Nordic countries with strong trade unions.

Kaia Vask has been a member of the Estonian Seamen's Independent Trade Union since 2001 and a 5th class knight of the White Star. At the 9th Congress of the Central Union of Estonian Trade Unions, he was elected with an overwhelming majority as the only candidate as the chairman of the Central Union of Estonian Trade Unions for the years 2023-2027.