Cziria, Ludovít

Amendments to Act No. 328/2007 on collective bargaining [1] changed the rules for the extension of multi-employer collective agreements (*SK0708019I* [2]). Under the previous provisions, the extension of collective agreements required the consent of the employer concerned. In many cases, employers did not agree to the extension and, as a result, the number of extended multi-employer collective agreements has been extremely small in Slovakia in the last four years. However, the amended law provides that each multi-employer collective agreement should be categorised in line with the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE Rev 1 (523Kb PDF) [3] and that its extension may be applied to employers whose prevailing business activity falls within the respective NACE code. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/collective-bargaining [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/legislation-amended-to-extend-collective-agreements [3] http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/bmethods/info/data/new/classifications/nace_en.pdf

The Volkswagen group, with headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, is one of the leading car manufacturers in the world, with a share in global passenger car production in 2005 of 9% (5.2 million passenger car vehicles), making the company the world’s fourth largest car producer. This case study is based on interviews carried out in the Czech Republic and Slovakia between March and June 2006 with national members of the Volkswagen EWC in both countries, as well as with management representatives. Founded in 1990, the European Volkswagen Group Works Council was established even before the EU Directive on European Works Councils came into force.

Deutsche Telekom is one of the four largest telecommunication companies in the world and a strong global player in this industry. This case study is based on interviews carried out in Slovakia and Hungary between March and June 2006 with both EWC members and management representatives. In addition, an interview was carried out with a representative of the Deutsche Telekom EWC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. The Deutsche Telekom EWC was established in June 2004.

In April 2007, the Association of Employers of Transport, Post and Telecommunications (Zväz zamestnávateľov dopravy, pôšt a telekomunikácií Slovenskej republiky, ZZDPT SR) left the national-level employer organisation the National Union of Employers (Republiková únia zamestnávateľov Slovenskej republiky, RÚZ SR [1]). At the same time, ZZDPT SR was renamed as the Union of Employers of Transport, Post and Telecommunications (Únia dopravy, pôšt a telekomunikácií Slovenskej republiky, ÚDPT SR [2]). The separation of ÚDPT SR from RÚZ SR had serious consequences for its participation in the national tripartite social dialogue. According to the statute of the tripartite Economic and Social Council (Hospodárska a sociálna rada, HSR), only employer organisations which represent at least 100,000 employees are entitled to participate in the HSR; the same regulation applies to trade unions. As ÚDPT SR did not comply with this criterion, it lost the right to participate in national tripartism. [1] http://www.ruzsr.sk/ [2] http://www.udpt.sk/

In recent years, healthcare workers in Slovakia have organised several industrial actions in protest against the low wage level in the sector (*SK0605029I* [1], *SK0705039I* [2]). On 30 May 2008, the President of the Slovak Union of Medical Specialists (Slovenská lekárska únia špecialistov, SLÚŠ [3]), Andrej Janco, appealed to all healthcare workers to organise, as a joint protest action, a ‘/Health day of healthcare workers’/. With this action day, they would show their dissatisfaction with their current income levels. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/hospital-workers-strike-over-pay-and-overtime [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/strike-alert-in-healthcare-sector-due-to-low-wages [3] http://www.slus.sk/

On 7 May 2008, after approving Slovakia’s euro bid, the European Commission recommended that the euro be implemented in the country from 1 January 2009. This will make Slovakia the sixteenth nation to adopt the euro. As a result, the Slovak government has been discussing entering the euro zone with representatives of the social partners and the various municipalities throughout the country. These discussions resulted in the conclusion of a declaration on consensus regarding the implementation of the euro in Slovakia. The declaration was signed in January 2008 by Slovakia’s Prime Minister, Róbert Fico, along with the President of the National Union of Employers (Republiková únia zamestnávateľov Slovenskej republiky, RUZ SR [1]), Marián Jusko, the President of the Federation of Employers Association (Asociácia zamestnávateľských zväzov a združení Slovenskej republiky, AZZZ SR [2]), Tomáš Malatinský, the President of the Slovakian Confederation of Trade Unions (Konfederácia odborových zväzov Slovenskej republiky, KOZ SR [3]), Miroslav Gazdík, as well as the Chair of the Association of Municipalities (Združenie miest a obcí Slovenska, ZMOS [4]), Miloslav Hetteš. [1] http://www.ruzsr.sk/ [2] http://www.azzz.sk [3] http://www.kozsr.sk/ [4] http://www.zmos.sk/

The Slovakian government, in its Programme Declaration (*SK0609019I* [1]), committed to reviewing the feasibility of ratification of the revised European Social Charter [2]. The Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Ministerstvo práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny Slovenskej republiky, MPSVR SR [3]) prepared a proposal for ratifying the charter, and submitted it for discussion at the tripartite Economic and Social Council (Hospodárska a sociálna rada, HSR [4]). The Slovakian Confederation of Trade Unions (Konfederácia odborových zväzov Slovenskej republiky, KOZ SR [5]) welcomed the ratification of the European Social Charter [6], but it did not agree with the proposed scope of its ratification. KOZ SR representatives demanded that the ratification proposal of the revised charter be withdrawn from the agenda of the HSR meeting in December 2007, suggesting that the confederation would review options for ratification of the charter in a wider context. MPSVR SR accepted the trade unions’ request. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/new-government-programme-includes-union-demands [2] http://conventions.coe.int/treaty/en/Treaties/Html/163.htm [3] http://www.employment.gov.sk/ [4] http://www-8.vlada.gov.sk/index.php?ID=1145 [5] http://www.kozsr.sk/ [6] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/european-social-charter

During the sectoral collective bargaining for 2008, the Metal Trade Union Association (Odborový zväz KOVO, OZ KOVO [1]) requested a 7% wage increase for workers in the sector. In the view of the OZ KOVO representative, Stanislav Tarnovský, the good performance of the Slovak economy allows for such a rise in wages. According to statistics, the average nominal gross monthly wage in the economy amounted to SKK 19,514 (about €604 as at 11 April 2008) in the third quarter of 2007. Average wages rose by 6.8% in comparison with the same period of 2006. It is expected that nominal wages should also rise by a similar rate in 2008. [1] http://www.ozkovo.sk/?kam=

Employee and employer representatives in the public sector concluded two sectoral collective agreements for 2008. The collective agreement for civil servants – people employed in the various government departments – was concluded by representatives of the Confederation of Trade Unions (Konfederácia odborových zväzov Slovenskej republiky, KOZ SR [1]), the Independent Christian Trade Unions (Nezávislé kresťanské odbory Slovenska, NKOS [2]) and the General Free Trade Union Association (Všeobecný slobodný odborový zväz, VSOZ), along with the ministers of finance, of interior and of labour, social affairs and family. The collective agreement for public servants – people employed by the state under a public-law relationship such as teachers, nurses or the police force – was concluded by the same trade union representatives, with five government ministers, the President of the Association of Municipalities of Slovakia (Združenie miest a obcí Slovenska, ZMOS [3]) and the chairs of eight regional self-governments. Both collective agreements entered into effect on 1 January 2008. [1] http://www.kozsr.sk [2] http://www.nkos.sk/ [3] http://www.zmos.sk/default.aspx?id=9&lang=sk

The trade unions in Slovakia had been demanding changes to the Labour Code for a long time and they anticipated that the new government would accept their requirements. Since the new government took office in 2006, the Labour Code was the most discussed piece of legislation; the adoption of changes to the Code was one of the key political tasks of the new coalition government (*SK0609019I* [1]). The extensive amendments, including more than 150 items, proposed by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Ministerstvo práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny Slovenskej republiky, MPSVR SR [2]) aim to increase employee protection. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/new-government-programme-includes-union-demands [2] http://www.employment.gov.sk/