Estonia
There are no official subcategories of Workers in Estonia.
Fixed-term contracts are permitted in Estonia and may be renewed, but may not exceed five years in total.
Probationary periods are permitted up to four months in indefinite contracts and half the contract period in fixed-term contracts. During the probationary period, 15 days' notice is required to terminate the employment relationship.
Workers in Estonia recognize 12 paid public holidays. Work performed on public holidays must be paid at 200%. The law requires employers to shorten the workday by three hours preceding some public holidays including New Year's Day (1 January), Independence Day (24 February), Victory Day (23 June), and Christmas Eve (24 December). If the workday cannot be shortened, it must be compensated by time off in lieu or 150% of wages.
Most Workers receive 28 days of paid vacation per year. It must be used in the calendar year it is earned. In the first year of employment, a pro-rata portion of the annual leave allotment is earned after six months. The Parties can agree to split the period of leave. If split, at least one period must be 14 consecutive days.
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. Overtime is limited to 200 hours per calendar year.
There are no mandatory or customary bonuses in Estonia.
Except in cases of gross misconduct, termination requires suitable grounds and adequate written notice or payment in lieu. The amount of notice required depends on 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; and 10+ years of service: 90 calendar days.
Workers must provide 30 days' notice of resignation.
If an employment arrangement ends through no fault of the employee ("redundancy") then the Worker is due one month's wages in an indefinite contract or, if on a fixed-term contract, the remainder is due through the end of the term.
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