Archive of articles - February 2010, page 6
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Rules for terminating employment are similar in Europe
As employee mobility continues to increase mainly within the European Union (EU), employees should be acquainted with the requirements for accepting employment within European countries as well as with how employment can be terminated. Labour law experts cooperating with Deloitte in Europe under the supervision of the Belgian law firm LAGA conducted a survey to analyse and compare the rules regulating termination of employment and prepared a comparative study on the dismissal of employees in 18 European countries.
Drug baron on the run with a Slovak ID
A SERBIAN national, Darko Saric who the Serbian police suspect of smuggling 2.7 tons of cocaine from South Africa to Europe and who since January 2010 has been on Interpol’s wanted list, is also officially a Slovak citizen. The SITA newswire drew attention to Saric when it reported on February 16 that the Serbian Interior Ministry had requested an explanation from Slovak authorities why Saric had been granted Slovak citizenship – as well as an ID and passport.
Underworld figures arreste
THE POLICE on February 15 arrested 11 purported members of the Bratislava underworld who the General Prosecutor’s Office believes are members of the Sýkorovci criminal organisation.
Survey highlights need to nurture top talents
Despite the global economic downturn, the strategic appetite of investors who are already operating in central and eastern Europe (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to remain in the region is strong, according to a recent survey looking at these firms’ investments in the human resources sector. More than half of those surveyed are likely to stick to their original HR investment plans; less than half decided to postpone these investments; and only a very few have decided to stop investing in the human resources completely. Overall, firms seem to have maintained their confidence in the significant long-run potential of the region, according to this 2009 survey conducted by Amrop, a human capital consulting company.
Primary and secondary education in a foreign language
Education in foreign languages is also available in Slovakia at lower levels of schooling. In addition to international schools for foreigners with English, German and other world languages as the language for instruction, located mainly in the biggest Slovak cities with the highest concentration of foreigners, there are also Slovak public schools offering bilingual programmes as well as public schools for minority students using a mother tongue other than Slovak.
Study programmes in foreign languages are available in Slovakia
Talented Slovak students have many opportunities to access fine education abroad while all they need are language skills, a sound scholarship scheme and well-off parents or sponsors. But education in a foreign language is no longer a one-way street out of Slovakia because this central European country also offers various study opportunities either for foreigners who want to study here but do not speak Slovak or for Slovaks who want to receive their education in a language other than Slovak. Students in Slovakia can now choose study programmes and classes in various languages, especially in English, German or French. (For more information please see also the table: Study programmes in foreign languages available in Slovakia)
Being a private greenfield hospital is demanding
THE SITUATION in Slovakia’s health-care system is not a pretty one, with a constant lack of funds, the exodus of Slovak doctors and nurses abroad, and patients accustomed to free health care from the previous regime. So, at first sight, the decision to build a hospital as a private investment looks neither profitable nor easy. But, so far, the experience of the Medissimo Polyclinic Hospital shows that there is demand for medical facilities where people are treated without having to wait, by experienced specialists using modern equipment, and that people are also willing to pay for this.
Best skiing may be on the way
ALTHOUGH the weather has turned a little milder, it should not harm the winter sports season as more waves of snow are expected. But the subfreezing temperatures will recede and temperatures at 1,000 metres and above should oscillate around zero during the week. About 20 additional centimetres of snow may fall this week. As there has now been an accumulation of natural snow in most of the ski resorts that should stay on the slopes, the best ski conditions of this season may be coming. There is even a long-term forecast for a meter of fresh snow before the beginning of March.
Becoming your own employer
Finding a new job and landing on an employer’s payroll again is not the only way to escape from unemployment. For those not afraid of stepping out on their own and using their skills and knowledge, they can start their own business and be their own boss with a trade authorisation or trade license.
Speed and thrills challenge 30 teams at Balocké krnohe
ONE OF Slovakia’s specialty sports is competing in racing old-fashioned sleighs: “krňačky” or “krnohe” or “krnohy” or “krnaky” or “krne”. Take your pick of the names as they all describe a bigger kind of sleigh made of a curved piece of wood, called samorast (self-growth in Slovak) or krnáč in a local dialect. The sleigh is made solely of wood, without any kind of metal parts. In mountainous regions of Slovakia, especially in central Slovakia, this type of sleigh was used to transport wood from forests, and hay from steep mountain meadows to more accessible places. The sleighs were brought to Slovakia from the Tyrol region of Austria by lumbermen who had been invited to do so by the Earls’ Chamber.
Studies at Brno International Business school - at the right time at the right place
We’ve surely heard the so often repeated sentence “For some, crisis may be a way to hell, for others an opportunity.” I believe I could belong to the latter group and therefore I’ve frequently thought about how to grasp such an opportunity and primarily, where to see it or come across it. It’s easier said than done.
‘Drops of Blood’
THE FIFTEENTH year of the Valentine Drop of Blood campaign sponsored by the Slovak Red Cross (SČK) has achieved record success. Between February 8 and February 26, people in many Slovak cities and towns can donate blood under the motto Spolu zachránime (Together We Can Save). In Košice, a record number of 694 people had donated blood before February 15; 375 were students and 165 had donated blood for the first time, according to Lucia Cangárová of the Košice Red Cross. Slovakia’s National Transfusion Station also cooperated with SČK but Cangárová noted that it preferred holding group blood collections at schools and companies. In Dunajská Streda, Dagmar Nagyová of SČK said that they had collected 31 litres of blood from 69 people. “The idea was to spread the notion of donating blood especially among youth,” she explained.
Health insurance companies
Všeobecná Zdravotná Poisťovňa (VšZP)
How to post employees abroad in the light of new EU regulations on Social security
Since the Slovak Republic (SR)entered the European Union (EU)Slovak employers posting employeesto other EU member states are now aware that besides other formalities it is also necessary to ascertain in which state the related social security and health insurance contributions for these employees must be paid.However, Slovak employers sometimes face problems when correctly applying the coordination regulations. Incorrect interpretations or a lack of information on the current legislative framework can lead to several sanctions.
SDKÚ bets on new faces
MID-WAY through its process of choosing a new election leader and composing a candidate list for the upcoming parliamentary elections, the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) has been hit by the results of a recent poll that shows that the party’s preferences have fallen month-on-month, while some of its competitors have grown stronger.
A story from an 'unimpressive Bratislava'
THERE’s a clear promise of travel in Leif Davidsen's political thriller The Woman From Bratislava. “One of Denmark's top crime writers” trills the Sunday Times’ quote on the jacket, while the blurb on the back transports us to spring 1999 when “NATO is bombing Yugoslavia”. In the prologue we leave Copenhagen for Estonia, and the first lines proper read: “I first noticed the woman in Warsaw. She showed up again … in Prague.”
Looking ahead with caution and a clear-headed view
Despite the logical instinct to look towards the future with optimism as the contours of an economic recovery appear on the horizon, Martin Krekáč advises to keep caution combined with a clear-headed view, especially when it comes to developments in the labour market. Krekáč is the president of the Slovak Business Alliance and has his fingers tightly on the pulse of the business environment.
Emergency services tender stirs controversy second time around
FOUR years ago the system of medical emergency in Slovakia underwent extensive reform. A new network of emergency medical stations, many built on greenfield sites, was developed. The final selection of operating companies who competed for the four-year licences drew a lot of attention and some degree of controversy at that time. Similar attention is being repeated after the Health Ministry’s recent announcement of the licence winners for the current tender. While the Health Ministry and the winners of new licences say the tender was correct and conducted in accordance with the law, opposition political parties and companies that failed to get new licences are objecting to the tender, saying it lacked transparency and contained elements of cronyism.
Swine flu vaccination open for all
THE VACCINE against swine flu is now available for any Slovaks interested in being protected from the virus. The head of Slovakia's Public Health Authority Office, Ivan Rovný, announced that the vaccine against the pandemic novel influenza A (H1N1) became available to the general public on February 5 and appealed to Slovak citizens to get protected. He underscored that the swine flu pandemic is not a seasonal illness and gave his assurance that the vaccine is efficient and safe, the SITA newswire wrote.
Decadence in academia?
THE IMAGE of a student running around in a t-shirt with the logo of Trenčín University, which has made it to the yearbook of academic scandals after granting fast-tracked diplomas to several students, would be quite a joke. Students worldwide are wearing shirts and caps with logos of prestigious schools even if they are not personally associated with that particular alma mater. There is an element of pride involved in one’s university education – which is certainly more than just an outcome of a good business model, branding or university PR.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Iconic Slovak barn still draws crowds. Without donors, it might have been lost Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access More articles ›
