On the motion of the Legal Affairs Committee, the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Collective Agreements Act (153 SE), initiated by the same Committee, was concluded. The aim of the Bill is to bring the regulation of the Collective Agreements Act into conformity with the Constitution and to provide the rules of procedure under which parties to a collective agreement which has become invalid due to expiry of the term have the possibility to cancel the collective agreement and to terminate it. The Collective Agreements Act which is currently in force is based on the principle that a collective agreement is entered into for a fixed term but, upon expiry of the term, the parties are required to continue to comply with the expired collective agreement. The obligation to continue to comply with the expired collective agreement continues until a new collective agreement is entered into. The initiator finds that, in case of failure to enter into a new agreement, such a solution means that the old agreement continues to be in force forever, and that such a situation is in conflict with the Constitution. The Estonian Centre Party Faction and the Social Democratic Party Faction moved to reject this Bill at the first reading. 37 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 50 voted against. The motion was not supported and thus the Bill was sent to the second reading.

The Riigikogu Press Service