Estonia begins talks on 2027 minimum wage

Estonia’s trade unions and employers will begin negotiations on the 2027 minimum wage on Monday, ERR reported. The talks are scheduled to start at 1 p.m., with the aim of increasing the purchasing power of low-paid workers and moving towards a target agreed in 2023.

The Estonian Trade Union Confederation and the Estonian Employers’ Confederation will use a 2023 agreement as the basis for negotiations. It sets a goal of raising the minimum wage to 50 percent of the average gross wage.

Trade union leader Kaia Vask said the unions would argue for full-time workers to be able to live decently on their pay. She said people who work every day should not have to worry about whether their wages will cover food, housing and other essential costs.

Vask said Estonia’s minimum wage has among the lowest purchasing power in the European Union, and that unions want workers on the lowest wages to benefit from economic growth.