Just a week ago, Kihnu Veeteed planned to go on strike.
The strike would have disrupted ship traffic between the mainland and islands.
Now the strike has been called off as the Estonian Seafarers' Independent Union (EMSA) and Kihnu Veeteed reached an agreement.
With the agreement, the planned strike that was set to begin on September 18th is cancelled.
The new agreement establishes employee wages.
Employees will also receive performance bonuses of up to 5%.
Meal allowances will increase, and starting from 2028, employee wages will grow along with the Estonian average wage.
EMSA chairman Jüri Lember stated that it's important for sailors' wages to be around 1650 euros.
On September 10th, the union was still in the strike preparation phase.
The strike was supposed to begin at midnight on September 18th.
Lember emphasized that a strike is never the goal, but rather the last resort.
The new collective agreement is valid for three years or until the end of service on Kihnu Veeteed's current ship routes.
If a new operator takes over the routes, most employees will likely move to the new employer.
EMSA has also proposed to conclude a sectoral collective agreement.
This agreement would in future be extended to ferry lines and regulate working hours and minimum wages.
For passengers, this means there will be no problems caused by the strike.