The ETCB wants to make sure that all seasonal workers are registered in the employment register and receive fair wages. To achieve this, the ETCB checks providers of seasonal work all over Estonia during the spring-summer period, for example, at open-air events, food festivals and, above all, in sectors where seasonal work is offered the most.
Aune Maria Marjapuu, leading specialist of the ETCB's Income Tax Department, reminds providers of seasonal work that all employees deserve a fair salary on which labour taxes have been paid. “Correct accounting for tax purposes guarantees workers’ rights and security for the future. Paying so-called envelope wages in full or in part, whether in cash or in a bank account, deprives employees of the rights and benefits that the employees deserve. Cases of envelope wages and problems of undeclared work are the main focus of the ETCB during the period of seasonal work, mainly for the protection of the employees themselves," Marjapuu said.
Often, at the beginning of seasonal work, the opportunity is offered to first try the job on an unpaid trial day. Such an offer is neither beneficial to the employee nor acceptable from the employer.
“As soon as you start working for someone – for example, serving customers or placing goods on shelves – that is the work you need to get paid for,” Marjapuu explained.
The ETCB advises seasonal workers to make sure that their employment has been registered in the employment register from the first working day at the latest. “This can be easily checked in the e-services environment of the ETCB by selecting “My employments”. On the page that opens, users can see valid employment entries. Clicking on a specific entry number opens a page where you can check the data related to the employment – the start of the employment, employment type, working time rate, occupational title, address of the workplace, etc. It is important to make sure that the data displayed corresponds to reality. If not, feel free to speak to your employer, who can correct the data,” Marjapuu added.
After the peak period of seasonal work, the ETCB makes a summary of its inspections in order to increase the awareness of employees and employers and prevent possible problems in the future. Read more about reasons to refuse envelope wages on the website of the ETCB (in Estonian).
