Ferry workers' strike on Kihnu Virve and Ormsö took place in island ports instead of mainland
On Sunday, crews of the Kihnu-Munalaid and Rohuküla-Sviby ferry lines held a warning strike as no wage agreement was reached with the employer. The strike occurred in Kihnu and Sviby ports instead of the mainland due to schedule changes.
On Sunday, July 20, 2025, crews of the Kihnu-Munalaid and Rohuküla-Sviby ferry lines staged a warning strike. Trade union leader Jüri Lember told ERR that the ferry Ormsö was in Sviby port from 12:00 to 13:00, while the Kihnu Virve was in Kihnu port at the same time.
The strike was prompted by a failure to agree on wage terms with the employer. The Estonian Independent Seamen's Union (EMSA) had approached the state conciliator to help conclude a collective agreement with Kihnu Veeteed AS. The union demanded a wage increase of up to 30% and wage indexation for the next year.
Kihnu Veeteed representative Jaak Kaabel said the union's expectations were too high to be met. He noted that a month earlier the state conciliator had proposed a compromise, but the union rejected it. Kaabel explained that the company’s revenue comes from state procurement contracts, which are fixed, while costs are open. Profitability in recent years has been around 5%. The strike did not affect the ferry schedule.
The union stated that Kihnu Veeteed did not respond in time to the state conciliator's proposal of June 26 and that the company's position lacked substance.
