The Achievements of Social Democratic Party
Estonia: Return To Independence
Social Democrats of Estonia have always stood for our country’s independence
Parties that advocated social democracy won a majority of votes during the Estonian Constituent Assembly elections in 1919. That very assembly passed one of the most democratic constitutions at that time in the world and executed a radical land reform, the Land Act of 1919, which divided the expropriated landed properties into viable farms throughout the country.
After the Soviet occupation that followed, Social Democrats fought for the restoration of the Estonian independence. August Rei, one of the founders of the Estonian Social Democratic Union, was the Chairman of the Second Parliament and after escaping to Sweden became a founding member of many vital and important national organizations, most notably the Estonian National Council which he chaired until his death in 1963.
Society and The State
Social Democrats’s long term policies and strategies for the government
Social democrats, in the 1994 government led by Andres Tarandi, Vootele Hansen and Eiki Nestor, actively charted out Estonia’s long-term development plan, called Estonia 2010. For the first time in the post-Soviet Estonia, long-term plans were laid out for improving the economic, political and social well-being of the society.
Participatory democracy where all citizens make meaninful contributions to the political system
Social Democrats see themselves as the facilitators of dialogue between the government and its people. They created a legislative framework for collective bargaining, in which local businesses elect labor representatives, and passed legislation for minimum wage. Social Democrats have also proposed involvement of the representatives of local non-profits as well as various representative bodies of citizens in the work and governance of administrations and offices of our cities and towns.
Education
- Adopted collective bargaining agreements nation wide.
- Stood for improving the salary contracts of kindergarden teachers. Our party succesfully signed the collective bargaining agreement between the Tartu city government, one of the largest towns in Estonia, and local kindergarden teachers.
- Social Democrats were crucial in passing the School Milk Scheme initiative under the EU Healthy Eating Campaign, which focuses on initiatives to get children to eat healthier.
- Unlike other political parties in Estonia, Social Democrats have always believed that the government ought to make it possible for children to eat for free at all levels of education, including at colleges.
- Local governments that are led by the member of our party are financially contributing to the budgets of local schools thereby financing school transport, field trips, food, hobby classes, books and other materials relevant for school work.
Social Protection
- Social Democrats were instrumental in establishing medical insurance coverage and thus creating favorable conditions for stable healthcare financing.
- Social Democrats also contributed to the creation of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund which covers the costs of health services.
- Social Democrats authored the legislation for a system of primary care physicians.
- Social Democrats implemented a system which guarantees welfare services for the handicapped persons.
- Social Democratic Party created a child support system which recognizes child support as a fundamental human right for children and rests the responsibility of that in both parents and the government. As a result, all Estonian families receive child support payments from the government.
- Social Democrats authored the parental leave and parental benefit plan which was eventually incorporated into the Parental Rights Act. Mothers are entitled to maximum length of leave of 3 years during which an employer must hold her job, and 455 days of the total leave are fully compensated. Estonia’s parental leave system is one of the most generous.
- Social Democrats launched a very successful program called “Every Child A Place in the Kindergarden” for pre-schools and kindergardens which gained widepread support. It was later included by the government in the country’s budget thus guaranteeing local governments financial support for renovating, expanding and building new kindergardens and schools, increasing teachers salaries, etc.
- Estonia’s pension system consists of three pillars: state pension (pillar I) followed by funded (pillar II) and supplementary (pillar III) pension. Social Democrats authored the funded pension which is the main addition to the state pension, providing supplementary income in retirement age. We also introduced a regulating framework for increasing pensions annually according to a set of rules and regulations.
Economy
- Social Democrats introduced a minimum income threshold, below which residents do not have to pay income tax, thereby reducing the tax burden on Estonian families.
- Social Democratic Party supported the establishment of Enterprise Estonia (EAS) in 2000 which promotes business and regional development in Estonia. Social Democrats also created a special mortgage option for young families which makes it easier for them to acquire real estate property.
- Social Democrats retained a reduced tax rate for certain goods and services such as school supplies and books, medications, toiletries, birth control pills, handicap equipment and accessories, periodicals, and hospitality related services.
- Books are subject to a reduced tax in Estonia mainly due to SDE’s proposal.
- On January 1, 2011 Estonia became the first ex-Soviet state to adopt the EU single currency. The majority of the work for joining the euro was done by Estonia’s government under the majority leadership of Social Democrats. Especially notable are the contributions of the then Minister of Finance, Social Democrat Ivar Padar, toward the accession to the euro zone.
- Social Democrats authored several acts which increased the job security for Estonians such as collective bargaining act, and acts under the national labor law regarding labor strike, mediators, labor relations and unions act.
- Social Democrats created the unemployment compensation system without which unemployed would only receive 1000 crowns (ca 64 euros). Currently unemployed get 50% of their monthly salary for 6 months and then 40% during the next 6 months.
- Social Democrats worked out the sex-based discrimination law which forbids employment discrimination, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoffs, training, fringe benefits, and any other term or condition of employment.
- Social Democrats have always actively promoted a progressive unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation principles. Social Democrats created a program which planned for educational classes, retraining, counceling and other services which would help employed to get rehired.
- We have constantly worked toward better representing and mediating conflicts between the employers and trade and labor unions. Agreements have been reached on several important topics such as minimum wage, creation of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, etc. Several agreements have been worked out with unions and employees, especially notable are three-party contracts among government, employers, and unions which ensure joint efforts to promptly rehire employees who have been collectively laid off.
- Largely due to Social Democrats support Estonian Agricultural Registers and Information Board (PRIA) was created, which enabled Estonian agriculture and farming sector to receive financial support from the European Union.
- The new trade regime between Estonia and the European Union, effective from July 1st, 2000, greatly expanded the export opportunities of Estonian agricultural products to the EU market. The export volume of Estonian food items increased and the custom duties decreased on imports: imports of meat and meat subproducts increased 45%, milk imports increased 19%, potato and vegetables imports increased 35%, grain imports increased 77%, flour and cereals imports increased 97%, meat and fish products imports increased 60%, etc. The EU imposed special protection measures on certain products, including pork, which improved the sustainable development of the Estonian pork industry. The Minister of Agriculture was Social Democrat Ivar Padar at that time.
- Another achievement of Ivar Padar’s ministry was the implementation of EU’s SAPARD programme (Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development) which supported measures to enhance efficiency and competitiveness in farming and the food industry and create employment and sustainable economic development in rural areas. Several small scale investment projects received funding such as agricultural holdings, biodegradable and green products, veterinary and plant-health controls, land improvement, land register creation and maintenance, water resources management, economic diversification in the countryside, environment and forestry protection, rural infrastructure improvements, and vocational training improvements.
- Social Democrats ratified the nature conservation subsidy.
- Social Democrats initiated the rural infrastructure support program, which helped fund the improvement of alignment and restructuring of local road networks, helped fix thousands of local wells, sewage systems, and improved the availability of the internet.
- Social Democrats have supported private forestry. Thanks to our leadership private forest owners can sell timber and other forestry products up to 45,000 kroons (2 876 euros) a year without paying income tax.
Environment
Social Democrats limited permits for new oil shale mines and related chemical plants in Northern Estonia and contributed to imposing the limits of maximum mining production.
Domestic Affairs
Jüri Pihl, Minister of Interior Affairs and Social Democrat, reduced the road traffic mortality in Estonia over two times during 2007-2008.
Foreign and Defence Policy
- Estonia joined European Union
- Estonia joined NATO
- Estonia joined the Schengen Agreement which which allows passport-free travel across the Schengen area within EU.