The Riigikogu concluded the first reading of the Bill on the Repeal of clause 86 10), clause 87 (1) 6) and section 108 and on Amendments to clause 90 (1) 1) of the Republic of Estonia Employment Contracts Act (763 SE), initiated by the Estonian Centre Party Faction, Estonian People’s Union Faction and Estonian Reform Party Faction. The purpose of the Bill is to end the age discrimination in employment contractual relationships. Pursuant to the Bill, provisions which enable to terminate an employment contract if the relevant employee has attained sixty-five years of age, will be repealed.

The following Bills, initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction, were rejected from the legislative proceeding by the Riigikogu.

With 54 votes in favour (15 votes against) the Bill on Amendments to the Code of Civil Procedure and to the Code of Enforcement Procedure Implementation Act (752 SE).

Beginning from this year the procedure, enacted by the Regulation of the Government of the Republic, which regulated the rights of persons with regard to their employers after having suffered occupational accidents or occupational diseases is no longer in force. According to the initiators of the Bill, the situation forces those persons to turn to the court for receiving compensation and to pay state fees for the claims previously free from state fees. Kadi Pärnits, who represented the initiators, highlighted an additional problem, concerning 30,000 people who at the moment receive compensation for occupational accidents or occupational diseases from their employers. According to the repealed procedure, the benefits were adjusted yearly. According to Mrs. Pärnits, in order to specify the fair index of the benefits, these persons must now turn to the court. An Occupational Accidents and Occupational Diseases Insurance Act would regulate the situation, but it has not yet been initiated by the Riigikogu. The position of the Legal Affairs Committee to reject the Bill from the legislative procedure was represented by Olev Laanjärv, who stressed that the Code of Civil Procedure and Code of Enforcement Procedure Implementation Act, which entered into force on 1 January, enforced a new principle, according to which certain groups of people are no longer automatically exempt from state fees.According to the new regulation, the court must establish that the economic position of a person does not allow him/her to pay state fees, only then it is possible to establish the exemption from state fees.

The Riigikogu rejected with 45 votes in favour (27 votes against) the Bill on Amendments to the Republic of Estonia Employment Contracts Act (753 SE) from the legislative proceeding. Similarly to 763 SE the Bill was designed to repeal the sections, which enable to terminate the employment contract of an employee who has attained 65 years of age.

The verbatim record of the Riigikogu sitting (in Estonian) can be found at:
http://web.riigikogu.ee/ems/plsql/stenograms.form

The Riigikogu Press Service