Salaries Increase for Nine Estonian Ministry Officials, Including One Who Remarked on Tartu Peace Treaty Complexity

The Estonian Ministry of Education and Research has undergone a structural reform, resulting in salary increases for nine officials by two to five percent. The list includes Andero Adamson, head of the language policy department, who drew public attention in May when he responded to a proposal by the Estonian Heritage Protection Society to make the anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty a state holiday. Adamson wrote that while he does not oppose the idea, its interpretation could be challenging for some population groups, and therefore the content and significance of the date should be explained in a way that is understandable to all social groups.

HR director Henri Lempu stated that the reform replaced the previous 16 departments and 22 divisions with 23 departments. Some former managers transitioned to new roles as department heads, others became senior advisors, and some left the ministry. Completely new or significantly changed departments were created, with public competitions held for leadership positions. Lempu emphasized that one goal was to prevent staff growth, and this was achieved—the number of employees remained unchanged.

Salary adjustments were made only in specific cases, such as when pay levels lagged behind requirements and existing differences could not be objectively justified, partly due to the partially enforced EU pay transparency directive. The only element of the directive actually implemented in Estonia affecting pay is equal pay for men and women for work of equal value. When unjustified salary gaps were identified, they were corrected for nine employees, both in managerial and specialist positions. As of June 1, Adamson's base salary is 4,300 euros per month.