March 05, 2021

Slovakia’s revised labor code includes measures that allow remote working and give remote workers the right to disconnect, expand the grounds for employee termination, increase employee meal voucher flexibility, ease intragroup transfers, and amend trade union representation rules. Most of the changes took effect on 1 Mar 2020. 

Highlights

  • Remote working. Changes clarified remote working conditions. Employers and employees can agree to remote working arrangements, and must incorporate such arrangements into the employment contract. Employees can choose to work from any location, and have the right to disconnect outside of working hours. Employers must reimburse certain expenses incurred by remote workers and ensure they can access training opportunities. Employers can now require remote workers to work certain hours, but employees are allowed to set their own working hours in exchange for relinquishing some benefits.
  • Grounds for employee termination. Employers will be allowed to dismiss employees aged 65 years or older (this is the pensionable age), subject to paying severance. This measure aims to increase job opportunities for younger workers and to reduce unemployment. This measure will take effect on 1 Jan 2022.
  • Vouchers and financial contributions for meals. Employees can now choose between receiving meal vouchers or a financial contribution for meals, if their employer does not provide catering facilities. Transitional arrangements apply to employers that currently operate a meal voucher scheme, but employees must be allowed to choose by 1 Jan 2022. 
  • Intragroup transfers. Employers have more flexibility to assign employees to other roles in their group’s organization, and no longer need an operational reason to make the transfer.
  • Trade union representation. To be recognized by the employer, unions must include members from among the employer’s workforce. Transitional arrangements require current sectoral collective agreements to remain in force until their expiration date.

Related resource

  • Labor code (Slovak) (Slovak official journal, 4 Feb 2021)
Fiona Webster
by Fiona Webster

Principal, Mercer’s Law & Policy Group

Stephanie Rosseau
by Stephanie Rosseau

Principal, Mercer’s Law & Policy Group

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