The state Labor Inspectorate has come out in support of a government bill which would allow minors aged 16 and 17 to serve alcohol in restaurants and cafés.
As the summer high season fast approaches, many young people are searching for work opportunities, but current law barring them from serving alcohol below the age of 18 is, many say, hampering them from getting work in the hospitality sector.
The bill, prepared by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, would need to pass a Riigikogu vote; the Riigikogu breaks up for its summer recess on June 18, returning only at the start of September.
Initially, the Labor Inspectorate (Tööinspektsioon) opposed the change as proposed, citing international child protection conventions and domestic alcohol policy. Now, the authority’s Director General, Kaire Saarep, has said these primary concerns have now been addressed.
“We believe that if adult supervision is present, then the Labor Inspectorate is not actually opposed to this amendment,” Saarep put it.
The inspectorate had initially argued that minors, i.e. wait staff aged 16-17, were too young to serve alcoholic beverages or to handle them in any way. However, this principle has given way to pragmatism at a time of high youth unemployment in Estonia — above the European average.
Also, Saarep noted, current law makes hiring minors unattractive to most catering businesses as they cannot even work as bottle carriers – yet this sector is one of the most logical areas for young people to work in during the holidays, for instance.
“Any responsible employer who complies with every possible rule will not hire a minor because they are not even allowed to clear tables. Yet clearing tables is entirely suitable work for 16–17-year-olds. To exclude them from the largest sector where minors can work—hospitality, catering, and hotel services—where additional labor is needed during the summer and where minors happen to be on school holidays at the same time, would remove their best opportunity to work. We should not take that opportunity away from them,” Saarep went on.
To ensure that young people can work safely during the summer, employers must provide continuous support. The Labor Inspectorate stresses that minors must not be left alone to close out a shift or a restaurant. An adult colleague must be present on site and available to assist if necessary, for example in resolving problematic scenarios.
In its written opinion, the inspectorate also highlighted concerns that serving intoxicated individuals could endanger young workers’ mental and physical safety.
Experience shows that dealing with drunk customers can be challenging even for adults. Despite these risks, the Inspectorate emphasizes shared responsibility and believes the amendment will help young people become more independent.
As for other considerations, the new draft would also create a situation in which underage service workers may need to ask potentially underage customers, i.e. their peers, for identification if there is doubt about their age.
“But we do not assume that young people and minors are always individuals in need of help. On the contrary, we want to allow them to become independent,” Saarep noted.
The new rules are part of a broader package of measures aimed at making it easier for minors to work, a push which has also focused on those areas where they may not – for instance in work which necessarily entails being exposed to loud noise.
The draft bill would if it passed a Riigikogu vote supersede current law which sets the minimum alcohol serving age at 18, the same as the legal purchasing age. Restaurants and other hospitality businesses do already employ under-18 staff, but not for alcohol service
The change is an about turn on earlier policy last December, when the Ministry of Economic Affairs abandoned a plan to amend Alcohol Act to allow 16-17-year-olds to handle alcohol-related work. That scrapped amendment would have even permitted minors as young as 13 to work as glass collectors.
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