Eesti in brief - 2012-10-18

Oct 17, 2012

The Transport and Road Workers Trade Union and the Union of Estonian Automobile Enterprises today signed an agreement, setting the minimum monthly salary for professional drivers at 620 euros. Previously, drivers were paid by the kilometer and did not have a collective agreement based wage, so the Estonian minimum wage applied - currently 290 euros. Taking effect on November 1, the new rules on remuneration and hours apply universally for the sector, said a statement released by the trade union. Peep Peterson, chairman of the Transport and Road Workers Trade Union, said the agreement assures better sick leave and pensions. He added that the agreement would help reduce the appeal of illegal overtime, which poses a safety threat for those on the road.

A beer from Saku Brewery has been crowned a “world’s best” style winner at the World Beer Awards in London. Saku Porter took top honors in the Strong Porter style in the Stout & Porter category beating a much stronger in volume Canadian beer. Saguenay Criminelle (10 percent ABV) was praised for its “big body and booziness” but Saku Porter was hailed for a “full and rounded mouth feel.” The other European winners for the styles in the Stout & Porter category were from Britain, Ireland and Denmark. Several of them were defeated by entries from Oregonian breweries, and Deschutes’s the Abyss, an imperial stout from Oregon, was picked the overall world’s best in Stout & Porter. “Leatheriness” - presumably a very good quality - was mentioned no less than twice in the writeup. Saku’s product (alcohol 6.9 percent by volume) was described as having a “very nice vinous aroma, leathery. Full and rounded palate, beautifully sweet, complex yet light and fresh. Great mouth feel, very moreish. Good length with more leather on the finish.”

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