Workers from rescue teams, law enforcement, and education sector take to the streets in demonstrations, advocating for increased wages.
Unions Protest for Higher Salaries for Public Servants in Education and Internal Security
Teachers and emergency services unions staged a protest at Toompea in Tallinn on Tuesday, calling on the ministers of interior, education, and economy to prioritize increasing salaries for public servants working in these sectors.
The Rescue Workers' Union, one of the participating unions, is part of the ongoing protests. They have highlighted the issue of low salaries for firefighters, with the minimum salary currently standing at €1,460, which is lower than the average gross salary in Estonia, according to the union.
The Rescue Workers' Union has expressed expectations that firefighter salaries will reach 100% of the Estonian average salary by next year. To achieve this, they have demanded an additional €34.5 million from the government and the Riigikogu.
Similarly, the Education Personnel Union, led by Reemo Voltri, is advocating for a significant improvement in teacher salaries. Voltri stated that a teacher with a master's degree earns about 15 percent less than the national average. He also stated that the promise is to raise teacher salaries to 120 percent of the national average no later than by 2027.
The Police Union, headed by Enel Kuiv, has also joined the calls for a salary increase for frontline officers. They expect that by 2026, the wages of frontline police officers will reach 1.2 times the Estonian average salary.
The announced goal for the salary increase for teachers and educators in Estonia by 2026 is part of measures to address teacher shortages and enhance education quality, aiming to make teaching professions more attractive and retain skilled personnel. However, specific target figures or percentages for the salary increase in Estonia by 2026 are not detailed in the available sources.
The protest took place at 9 a.m. on a street leading to Stenbock House, where the government works. Tuesday's protest did not affect emergency response services or the conduct of school lessons.
The unions' demands for wage increases are part of the 2026 budget discussions. The danger and intensity of a firefighter's work exceeds that of most other professions, according to the Rescue Workers' Union, while the Rescue Workers' Union did not express a promise to raise firefighter salaries to 120% of the national average by 2027, unlike the Education Personnel Union.
Newly published data from Statistics Estonia shows that the average gross salary has increased by 6 percent over the past year, reaching €2,126. The unions' protests are a clear indication that despite this increase, they believe that salaries for public servants in the education and internal security sectors still need to be improved.
