Mrs Pärnits was elected as the President of the Central Organisation in April, during its third Congress in Tallin. The rival candidate, Juri Minjajev, 56, the President of the Forestry Workers' Union lost by 97—38 votes. The former President of the Central Organisation, Raivo Paavo, resigned from this post and will, from now on, mainly concentrate on his work as a Member of the Estonian Parliament.

The future EU membership of Estonia has meant a heavy load of preparatory work. Prior to her election to the Presidency, Kadi Pärnits had been responsible for the legal affairs of the Central Organisation for the previous decade and has thus closely monitored the harmonisation of Estonian legislation with the requirements of the European Union. She says with regret that Estonia has not received sufficient support from Europe for the various stages of this work. - 'Even the most essential issues in Estonia do not always attract the attention which they deserve, and the recognition of the workers as negotiating partners is by no means the current standard. At present it is necessary for the trade union central organisation to take care of workplace bargaining rights, and this is not simplified by the general pressures, currently being experienced by Estonia, of the process of joining the EU', says the new President.

Overall priority given to members' interests

Estonian trade union membership is the lowest of all the Baltic countries. The rate of unionisation in Latvia is 25 per cent, and whilst Lithuania can claim only 15 per cent, Estonian membership does not even reach this, the figures showing a mere 12 per cent. Kadi Pärnits says that this rate is so low that it cannot possibly fall any further. In addition to this, there is no prestige associated with the trade union movement. Taking a view of her new position and of the associated responsibilities, she estimates that there is a lot of potential for trade union activities, as some 30 per cent of the national economy is dependent upon the production industries. The President of the Central Organisation can do very little to rectify the overall situation regarding the lack of labour regulations. She points out that the basic national legislation in Estonia was finalised in the period between the most recent two Congresses.

Kadi Pärnits continues. 'Our next objective is to get trade union representatives onto the councils of occupational associations, onto the receivership committees of companies which are in the process of going into liquidation or bankruptcy, and onto the administrative boards of various companies. We should advance social dialogue at the company level. Every issue should be dealt with, and all decisions should be made, with the interests of the individual member in mind'.

The trade union movement is a servant

In Estonia, increasing the overall level of trade union membership is one of the most important challenges. It is to this end that Kadi Pärnits, as the new President, emphasises the need to improve the nature of trade union services. She says that improvements to trade union training and education is an area which should be given priority. More training should be available and trade union courses, on subjects such as economic policy and working as a shop steward, should be on offer. Additionally, the trade union movement should provide legal aid to its members, a service which, including assistance in court, should be extended to all sections and to every member. The trade union movement should endeavour to exert its influence on the policy makers, in order to release public funds into the creation of a complementary social security system.

The Estonian trade union movement in general should be strengthened, in order to increase its capability of securing essential changes, in the field for example, of the struggle for better pay. Neither is it sufficiently strong in sectoral bargaining, and so in the present circumstances industrial action is not a viable option, says the new President, regretfully.

Kadi Pärnits continues by saying that it is not the smallness per se of the affiliated unions which is the main problem, but rather that because of their size, they are not always financially viable, leading to a situation which is not as stable as might be hoped. A little fine tuning of the operational opportunities of the Central Organisation is needed, as these require improvement. Cooperation, an improvement to the general atmosphere, along with a strengthening of the internal structure of the Organisation are all issues which should take priority in the new Executive Council of the Central Organisation, says the new President.