Estonian Ministry of Defence recognizes Merko as a supporter of national defence personnel

On 16 June, the Ministry of Defence handed out awards to 517 companies and organizations in Estonia, with Merko highlighted among them.

The ministry thanked Merko for its outstanding contribution to national defence by awarding the silver level of the decoration entitled “Supporter of National Defence Personnel”. It was the second year in a row we received this honour.

In bestowing the decoration, Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that security was everyone’s shared responsibility. “Even the strongest primary force requires solid logistics – people and organizations that support them. As prime minister, I am pleased to see our business sector and employers in general understand their role in national defence. The desire and opportunity for reservists to take part in exercises depends greatly on whether employers give them time off, retaining their salary, or allow flexibility. It’s precisely this kind of support that gives reservists assurance that their families are taken care of and that their job will be waiting for them when they get back,” said Michal.

Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, Maj. Gen. Andrus Merilo, said: “National defence works only if all components of society contribute. Employers who allow reservists to take part in exercises and support them with additional measures play an important role in this system. The contribution of employees who preserve reservists’ salaries strengthens the state’s ability to defend itself and operational readiness, as it keeps reservists’ motivation higher for participating in exercises. The more reservists take part in the exercises, the stronger Estonia’s independent defensive capability will be.“

Merko continues to pay reservists their normal salary for the time that they are off at exercises. We encourage our people to take part in exercises; they also retain all benefits of their job while they are engaged in exercises. We also do our part to support national defence by constructing buildings and infrastructure that help Defence Forces members to do their everyday work.