Tripartite consultative Organisations

Besides bilateral and tripartite negotiations the co-operation between social partners takes place also in tripartite councils and other consultative organisations. These organisations are: the Estonian Council of ILO, the Socio-economic Council, the Medical Insurance Council, Labour Participation Councils, Vocational Councils, Labour Dispute Commissions and the Labour Conditions Council.

The Estonian Council Of Ilo

Estonia restored its ILO membership in January 1992, and in May 1992 the Estonian Council of ILO was established – the first and even today dynamically functioning national tripartite structure. The restoration of the ILO membership marked the beginning of the progress in tripartite labour relations in the independent Republic of Estonia.

The task of the Estonian Council of ILO is to help the government to fulfil the obligations that arise from the ILO membership. The Council is a consultative and advisory body and does not have the right to negotiate. Today the Council consist of four representatives of the employers, four representatives of the Unions’ Central Organisation and six delegates of the state.

The Estonian Social and Economic Council

The necessity for creating the Estonian Social and Economic Council became apparent in the tripartite negotiations in 1998 and in February 1999 the government of the republic introduced a regulation for founding the council. The Social and Economic Council was created for improving the socio-economic processes and macro-economic relations. The Social and Economic Council is a tripartite informative, consultative and advisory social dialogue organisation, compiled of the representatives of the government and employers’ and employees’ central organisations. The Social Minister is responsible for the councils work, and the council presents its proposals to the government through the Social Minister.

Among the 18 members of the council there are six representatives of the state from universities, institutes and governmental institutions, six representatives of the employers and six representatives of the employees. Suggestions on the staff of the council are made by the social minister, and by the leaders of the employers’ and employees’ central organisations. The personnel of the Council is validated by the government of the republic on the proposal of the Social Minister.

Council of the Health Insurance Fund
http://www.csf.ee

The Health Insurance Fund is a public legal person the purpose of which is to provide medical insurance compensation according to the Republic of Estonia Health Insurance Act, other legal regulations and the expenses planned in the budget of the Health Insurance Fund. The operation of the Health Insurance Fund is prescribed in the Estonian Health Insurance Fund Act passed in June 14, 2000. Before the implementation of the law the system of medical insurance councils applied in Estonia.
The highest body of the Health Insurance Fund is the Council of the Health Insurance Fund, which consist of 5 representatives of the state and 5 representatives of the employers and employees each. The Council passes the development plan of the Health Insurance Fund, its budget and structure and appoints the chief and the members of the managing board.

Labour dispute commissions

According to the law of Individual Labour Dispute Arbitration the Tripartite Labour Dispute Commissions were formed in 1996. There are 15 county labour dispute commissions, which solve the disagreements between the employees and employers in cases the partakers cannot arrive to a mutual peaceful agreement. The members of the Labour Dispute Commission are the chairman of the commission and equal number of representatives are proposed by the employers’ and employees’ central establishments. In the session of the Labour Dispute Council the accounts of the participants and witnesses are attended to, documents and other evidence are examined and an assessment is given. The session of the Labour Dispute Council ends with the hearing out of the final viewpoints of the opponents and the decision is made by means of consensus or if necessary by voting.

Employment Councils

The Employment Councils were established on August 26, 1999 in Tallinn according to the tripartite agreement signed by the Government of Estonia, The Estonian Confederation of Employers and Industry and the Confederation of Estonian Unions.

The reason for creating the Councils was to promote the work of the National Employment Councils for a more thorough solving of the regional problems and for utilising more local initiative. In accordance with the agreement tripartite labour employment councils were set up at the counties as advisory institutions. The primary objective of the Employment Councils is to give advice to local labour employment council in composing and fulfilling the county’s labour employment scheme. There are three members from national sector, three from employers’ and three from employees’ organisations in the Labour Employment Councils.

The Vocational Councils

The foundation of the Vocational Councils started after passing the Vocational Educational Institutions Act on June 17, 1998. According to that act Vocational Councils were created of the representatives of the Government of the Republic, and of the representatives of the employers’ and employees’ confederations for harmonising the needs of the society and labour market. The function of the Vocational Councils is to record the positions and proposals of various institutions as well as to reach an agreement for elaborating, implementing and developing the workers’ qualification and vocational system. In addition the council synchronises the vocational and professional qualification of the workers with the labour market. For the year 2000 there had been created and put into effect the vocational councils on twelve economic sectors, which in turn were divided to 66 working groups.

The Work Environment Council

The Work Environment Council is an advisory body on work conditions at the Social Ministry consisting of the experts of the employers’ and employees’ confederations on workers safety’ and welfare. The Work Environment Council was founded in 1997. There are 5 members of the government, 5 representatives of the employers’ and 5 representatives of the employees’ in the Council. The main function of the Council is to enable the envoys of the social partners to present their proposals and to express their opinion about devising and implementing the work environment policy.