The European Commission has initiated infringement proceedings against Estonia. The reason is that Estonia has not aligned its laws with the EU directive. The aim of this directive is to ensure that employees receive clear information about their working conditions. For example, they must know their salary, working hours, and job stability.
The directive also protects employees from bad practices. For instance, it prohibits unpredictable work schedules and last-minute assignments. The Commission has also initiated infringement proceedings against other countries. These include the Czech Republic, Ireland, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Finland.
The Commission will now send an official letter to Estonia. The letter will explain what Estonia has done wrong. Estonia must respond and resolve the issue within two months. If Estonia fails to do so, the Commission may send a second letter. Subsequently, the matter may be referred to the European Court of Justice. The court's decision could impose a fine on Estonia.
Estonia has already partially fulfilled the directive's requirements. For example, employers must now inform job applicants about the salary or salary range before the interview. Additionally, employers may not ask candidates about their previous salary. Employees are allowed to discuss their salaries publicly.
However, Estonia has not fully implemented the directive. The government believes that some of the directive's requirements are too burdensome, especially for small businesses. Therefore, Estonia has requested a postponement of the directive's implementation. The Ministry of Economic Affairs was asked for a comment, but no response has been received yet.