Employment Contracts Act (Estonia)

Employment Contracts Act (Estonia)

The aim of the new Employment Contract Act, implemented from 1 July 2009, was to make the labour market more flexible. As new act took effect, the old Salary Act, Holiday Act, and the final parts of the Labour Code from Soviet times ceased to exist. In 2009, the special provision for multiple births (14 additional calendar days) was cancelled. The child’s age, giving the right to the adoption benefit, was extended from four to ten years. The father’s leave was defined as paternity leave. The duration of leave was shortened from 14 to ten working days (during the two months before or after the childbirth) and the level of compensation was increased to 100 % of reference earnings (from 2009-12, the fathers were temporarily entitled to unpaid paternity leave).