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Slovak Republic - Compensation & Benefit Legislation

CAPITAL

Bratislava

 

CLIMATE

Temperate climate; cool summers and cold, cloudy, humid winters.

 

LANGUAGES

Slovak (official), Hungarian.

 

LEGAL SYSTEM

Slovakia’s civil law system is based on Austro-Hungarian codes. Slovakia has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction. The legal code was modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory.

 

CURRENCY

Slovak Koruna (1 USD = 47.75500 SKK as of March 15, 2002).

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC - COST-OF-LIVING

ERI's Relocation Assessor is a recommended source for cost-of-living data.

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC - EMBASSY/CONSULATES

U.S. Embassy at Bratislava

P.O. Box 309

Bratislava, Slovak Republic 81499

Telephone: (011) 421-2-5443-3338

Fax: (011) 421-2-5443-0096

http://www.usembassy.sk

 

Embassy of the Slovak Republic at Washington D.C.

3523 International Court, NW

Washington D.C. 20008

Telephone: (202) 237-1054

Fax: (202) 237-6438

E-mail: info@slovakembassy-us.org

http://www.slovakembassy-us.org

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC - HOLIDAYS

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC – LEAVE

Annual Leave: Minimum 5 weeks paid annual leave each year.

 

Maternity Leave: Minimum 28 weeks – 90% of pay (paid by social security).

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC - MINIMUM AGE

The law sets the minimum employment age at 15 years.

 

Workers under the age of 16 years may not work more than 33 hours per week; may not be compensated on a piecework basis; may not work overtime or night shifts; and may not work underground or in specified conditions deemed dangerous to their health or safety. Special conditions and protections, though somewhat less stringent, apply to young workers up to the age of 18 years.

 

(Section 6.d. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Slovak Republic – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC - MINIMUM REMUNERATION

The minimum wage is 4,920 SKK per month (approximately $105). Even when combined with special allowances paid to families with children, the minimum wage does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family.

 

Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Slovak Republic – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC - REMUNERATION

ERI's Geographic and Salary Assessors are recommended sources for international remuneration covering 189 countries.

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC - REPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES (2001, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE)

Section 6 Worker Rights

 

a. The Right of Association

 

The Constitution provides for the right to form and join unions, except in the armed forces, and workers exercise this right. Approximately 45 percent of the work force is unionized. Unions are independent of the Government and political parties; however unions continued to lobby those entities in order to gain support for union positions on key labor issues.

 

The Constitution provides for the right to strike; however, according to this law, a strike is legal and official only if it is for the purpose of collective bargaining; if it is announced in advance; and if a list of strike participants is provided. The national statistical office reported no official strikes during the year; however, a number of strike alerts and unofficial strikes continued during the year. For example, the Union of Teachers and Scientists organized a strike over a salary dispute, but a compromise was reached before the strike occurred. Many of these actions anticipated layoffs or protested the nonpayment or partial payment of salaries due to restructuring of the company or insolvency. Local unions also held strike alerts. There were no instances of retribution against strikers or labor leaders. Relevant legislation on collective bargaining prohibits the dismissal of workers legally participating in strikes; however, if a strike is not considered to be official, strikers are not ensured protection.

 

Unions are free to form or join federations or confederations and to affiliate with and participate in international bodies, and do so in practice.

 

b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

 

The law provides for collective bargaining. Following the September 1998 parliamentary election the KOZ decided to reenter tripartite negotiations with employers and the Government; however, unions have expressed dissatisfaction with the Government, claiming that it has not included them in important decisionmaking and does not give adequate attention to their demands.

 

The law on citizens' associations prohibits discrimination by employers against union members and organizers. Complaints may be resolved either in collective negotiations or in court. If a court rules that an employer dismissed a worker for union activities or for any reason other than certain grounds for dismissal listed in the Labor Code, the employer must reinstate the worker. There were no reports of abuses targeted against unions or workers.

 

In July 2000, the Railway Workers, with the support of the International Labor Organization (ILO), appealed to the Government to amend the Act on Collective Bargaining to lower the quorum of employees necessary for the declaration of a strike and to eliminate the requirement that a list of employees participating in a strike be provided to the employer. Although the Government has developed draft amendments, no agreement has been reached to date.

 

The law regulates free customs zones and customs warehouses. Firms operating in such zones must comply with the labor code; there have been no reports of special involvement by the trade unions to date. No special legislation governs labor relations in free trade zones.

 

c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor

 

Both the Constitution and the Employment Act prohibit forced or compulsory labor; however, trafficking in women for the purpose of prostitution is a problem (see Section 6.f.). The Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Family, as well as district and local labor offices, have responsibility for enforcement of the law.

 

Both the Constitution and the Employment Act prohibit forced or compulsory labor by children; however, trafficking in girls for the purpose of prostitution was a problem (see Section 6.f.).

 

d. Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for Employment

 

The law sets the minimum employment age at 15 years. Workers under the age of 16 years may not work more than 33 hours per week; may not be compensated on a piecework basis; may not work overtime or night shifts; and may not work underground or in specified conditions deemed dangerous to their health or safety. Special conditions and protections, though somewhat less stringent, apply to young workers up to the age of 18 years. The Ministry of Labor enforces this legislation, and there were no reports of violations.

 

The Constitution and the law prohibit forced and bonded labor by children; however, trafficking in girls for the purpose of prostitution was a problem (see Sections 6.c. and 6.f.).

 

e. Acceptable Conditions of Work

 

The minimum wage was $105 (4,920 SKK) per month during the year; even when combined with special allowances paid to families with children, the minimum wage does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. The Ministry of Labor is responsible for enforcing the minimum wage; no violations were reported. The standard workweek mandated by law is 42.5 hours, although collective bargaining agreements have achieved reductions in some cases (most often to 40 hours). For state enterprises, the law requires overtime pay up to a maximum of 8 hours per week, and 150 hours per year, and provides 5 weeks of annual leave. Private enterprises can compensate their employees for more hours of overtime than stipulated by the law. There is no specifically mandated 24-hour rest period during the workweek. The trade unions, the Ministry of Labor, and local employment offices monitor observance of these laws, and the authorities effectively enforce them. Unions supported amendments made to the Labor Code during the year; however, there were allegations that the amendments may infringe on the freedom of association for employees who are not union members. The amendments require companies to create a board of employees to represent employee right, and prohibit discrimination.

 

The Labor Code establishes health and safety standards that the Office of Labor Safety generally enforces effectively. For hazardous employment, workers undergo medical screening under the supervision of a physician. They have the right to refuse to work in situations that endanger their health and safety and may file complaints against employers in such situations. Employees working under conditions endangering their health and safety for a certain period of time are entitled to paid "relaxation" leave in addition to their standard leave.

  

f. Trafficking in Persons

 

The law specifically prohibits all forms of trafficking in persons however, there were instances of trafficking in women and girls for prostitution. The country is a country of origin, a transit country, and a destination country for such victims of trafficking. Some NGO's estimate that 1,500 to 2,000 girls and young women are trafficked abroad into prostitution each year. The problem received more public attention during the year, but it is still likely that there are more cases than those that are documented. Some observers claim that Bratislava has become an important transit station in the trafficking of women and children. The number of trafficking cases appeared to be on the rise, particularly among the Roma community.

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC - SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security Office of International Programs:

 

http://www.ssa.gov/SSA_Home.html

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC - STANDARD WORKWEEK

The standard workweek mandated by law is 42.5 hours, although collective bargaining agreements have achieved reductions in some cases (most often to 40 hours).

 

For state enterprises, the law requires overtime pay up to a maximum of 8 hours per week, and 150 hours per year.

 

(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Slovak Republic – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)