Estonia
Fixed-term contracts are permitted in Estonia for a specified term of up to five years for reason relating to temporary fixed-term characteristics of the work. If a fixed-term contract for similar work is entered into twice in a row or renewed more than once within five years, the employment relationship shall be deemed indefinite.
Workers in Estonia recognize 12 paid public holidays: New Year's Day, Independence Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Labor Day, Pentecost, Victory Day, Midsummer Day, Independence Restoration Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Work performed on public holidays must be paid at 200%. The law requires the shorten of the workday by three hours on the day directly preceding the following holidays: New Year's Day, Independence Day, Victory Day, and Christmas Eve. If the workday cannot be shortened, it must be compensated by time off in lieu or 150% of wages.
Most Workers receive 28 calendar days of paid vacation per year. In the first year of employment, a pro-rata portion of the annual leave allotment is earned after six months. At least 14 calendar days of holiday shall be used by a Worker successively. An unused part of holiday shall be transferred to the next calendar year, but shall expire by the end of the following calendar year after the holiday entitlement occurred. Upon termination, any unused and non-expired vacation days shall be paid out to the Worker.
There are no official subcategories of Workers in Estonia.
Probationary periods are permitted up to four months. For fixed term contracts up to 8 months in duration, the probationary period may not be longer than half of the contract's term. During the probationary period, a 15 day notice period is required to terminate a Worker.
Workers are entitled to up to 182 days of paid leave for injury or illness. Employers are responsible for paying the leave from the fourth through the eighth day of absence. After that, it is paid by the government.
A standard workweek is 40 hours per week, eight hours per day. The average workweek over a four-month period should not exceed 48 hours, inclusive of overtime.
Overtime must be compensated with time off in lieu or 150% of wages.
There are no mandatory or customary bonuses in Estonia.
Except in cases of gross misconduct, termination requires suitable grounds and adequate notice or payment in lieu. The amount of notice required depends on the Worker’s length of service as outlined, below: <1 year of service: 15 calendar days 1 - 5 years of service: 30 calendar days 5 - 10 years of service: 60 calendar days 10+ years of service: 90 calendar days
Workers must provide 30 days' notice of resignation, unless they are within a probationary period. If a Worker resigns based on extraordinarily on the grounds that there was a fundamental breach of the employment contract, the Worker is entitled to three months' of compensation based on their average wages.
If a Worker is made redundant and dismissed without fault, the Worker is entitled to severance equal to one month's average salary. If the Worker’s length of service is between 5 years to 10 years, the Worker is entitled to two months’ severance and if the Worker’s length of employment is 10+ years they are entitled to three months’ severance.
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