European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
Eurofound's ERM database on restructuring-related legal regulations provides information on regulations in the Member States of the European Union and Norway which are explicitly or implicitly linked to anticipating and managing change.
Employment Contracts Act § 101-103
Collective dismissals means termination, within 30 calendar days, of the employment contract of no less than:
Before an employer decides on collective dismissals they shall send a transcript of the following information to the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (Töötukassa), concurrently with the submission of the information to employees' representative or, in his or her absence, the employees:
After consultations, an employer shall submit the information specified above and the information about the consultations to the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund in a format which can be reproduced in writing. The employer shall send a transcript of the information to the employees or their representative concurrently with the submission of the information to the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund. The employees' representative may submit to the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund his or her opinion on the collective dismissals within seven calendar days as of sending the transcript of the information specified above.
Collective dismissals of employment contracts enter into force upon the expiry of the term for advance notice of dismissals, but not sooner than 30 calendar days after the time when the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund received the information specified above. During the period, the Fund shall seek solutions to the employment problems relating to the collective dismissals.
The Fund has the right to shorten the term if the employment problems can be resolved within a shorter term. The Fund may extend the term up to 60 calendar days if it finds that it cannot resolve the employment problems relating to the collective dismissals within 30 calendar days. The Fund shall communicate a decision to change the term to the employer in a format which can be reproduced in writing within 14 calendar days as of the receipt of the information specified above. The term of entry into force of the cancellation shall not be applied if employment contracts are cancelled collectively due to termination of the activities of the company on the basis of a court judgement which has entered into force.
According to the Employment Contract Act survey, 81%-94% of employers informed the public authorities about the dismissals according to the law (Masso et al, 2013).
The regulation is an important tool for monitoring collective redundancies and undertaking necessary action in case of large redundancies. It enables the start of activities towards employees who have received notice of redundancy and provides up-to-date information to the public employment service, enabling follow-up activities.
Eurofound (2015), Estonia: Public authorities information and consultation on dismissals, Restructuring legislation database, Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/legislationdb/public-authorities-information-and-consultation-on-dismissals/estonia
This Eurofound research paper explores key trends in restructuring in recent years, highlighting the companies that announced the largest job losses and job gains in the EU. It builds on an analysis of company announcements recorded in Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor (ERM), alongside a new classification of restructuring events involving changes in company location.
:quality(80))
Employers increasingly use tools such as email, SMS and messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal to communicate with employees. While these technologies offer both efficiency and convenience, their use in communicating sensitive information, particularly for notifying employees of dismissal, raises legal concerns. This article explores the legal framework on dismissals across the EU, with a special focus on the use of digital means for communicating employment dismissals. Drawing on examples from various Member States, it examines the legal validity of digital dismissals.
:quality(80))
In 2023, thousands of workers in big tech lost their jobs. Meta, Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Salesforce had been considered to offer good and secure jobs up to this point. Giants of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, these companies are among the highest paying, with Eurostat data from 2022 indicating that workers in ICT had the second-highest median gross hourly earnings (surpassed only by earnings in the financial sector).[1] These layoffs were a shock, especially as the biggest companies had hired extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic. What happened in the two years after this redundancy wave – was that the end of the cuts or did the companies start expanding again?
:quality(80))
In 2024, the automotive sector in the EU came to the fore in public and policy discussions. The focus was on the slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) sales, rising global competition, belated investments in new technologies, and the potential closure of production lines in Europe. A number of European car manufacturers and suppliers announced their intention to make large-scale redundancies and change long-standing collective agreements on job security and wages, while workers raised concerns amid demonstrations and industrial action.
:quality(80))