Estonian capital's public transport co to raise wages 6 pct

Photo: Peeter Langovits

Chairman of the board of the municipal transport company Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS Enno Tamm and Alexander Martynenko, head trustee of the transport workers' union TLT, signed on Friday a collective agreement for 2013 that foresees an average pay rise of 6 percent beginning from April.

Both sides made several compromises during the negotiations, the company said.

"Besides numerous social guarantees, the agreement foresees an average 6 percent wage increase effective from April 1," Tamm said.

The agreement gives guarantees to both employees and employers, the union trustee said ahead of the signature. The general meeting of TLT earlier this week was tense because a part of the workers sought a bigger raise, he said adding that you have to cut your coat according to your cloth.

"We plan to meet again in the fall to begin discussion of the conditions of the next year's collective agreement," Martynenko said. The talks towards the 2013 agreement started on November 7 last year and took 11 full rounds plus smaller meetings. Drafting the text took a lot of time because Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS was established by merging two companies as a result of which quite a few new provisions had to be included in the agreement.

Both social guarantees and pay rise are important, the trustee said. Equalization of pay levels of the former tram and trolleybus and bus companies is expected to be completed by 2015, he said.

Tallinna Linnatransport has 1,800 employees.