Cziria, Ludovít

Collective agreements in the metal industry, the settlement of a dispute in a transport company, a new law on posting of workers and figures on workplace accidents are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Slovakia in the second quarter of 2016.

Nurses handing in their notices in a protest over wages, teachers protesting about wages and changes in the education system, the Constitutional Court’s decision on the law on extending collective agreements, law reforms to protect workers’ health, and research on undeclared work are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Slovakia in the first quarter of 2016.

​Collective bargaining in Slovakia’s public sector is regulated by the Collective Bargaining Act, the Labour Code and by laws governing the civil service and public service. Legislation specifies the scope of collective bargaining in multi-employer and single-employer agreements, but the main issues are working time, wages, paid holidays, severance pay, discharge benefits and the Social Fund’s resources.

OZ Kovo, the metalworkers' union, is the biggest trade union association in the private sector and collective agreements in the mechanical engineering sector belong to the most important agreements in the industry. On 19 May 2015, the ...

Employment increased steadily in Slovakia during 2014, particularly in the manufacturing and services sectors.

New rules aimed at ensuring wage equality for temporary workers came into effect on 1 March 2015, when changes were made to Slovakia’s Labour Code.

Wages in Slovakia continued to rise in the fourth quarter of 2014, with the biggest increases in manufacturing and education.

A long-running dispute in Slovakia has centred on the extension of multi-employer collective agreements, which is regulated by Act No. 2/1991 (in Slovakian, 164 KB PDF) [1] on collective bargaining. The subject has caused friction between representatives of employers and the trade unions. [1] http://www.stuba.sk/new/docs/stu/informacie_pre/zamestnancov/odbory/2-1991KV2007.pdf

The minimum wage level comes into effect on 1 January each year and is valid for the full calendar year. It applies to all employees, branches of industry and regions. In 2013, the minimum wage was set at €337.70 per month and €1.94 per hour. Since 1 January 2013, the minimum wage has also applied to workers who perform work externally for employers by agreement.

Bipartite social dialogue was established at cross-sector level in Slovakia in February 2013. Senior representatives of the country’s social partners in industry and construction signed a /contract on cooperation/ on 31 January 2013.