THE LABOUR Ministry is proposing to ban temporary work for the unemployed, explaining they should not work if they are registered at the labour office and drawing unemployment benefits. If the proposal passes, it could go into effect in April 2013, the Sme daily reported.
The current law allows every registered unemployed citizen who is entitled to unemployment benefits to work under specific conditions. For example, the monthly wage cannot exceed €143.40, and such a person cannot work more than 64 hours a month.
Currently, over 68,000 jobless receive extra income through temporary working agreements, which is 40 percent more than last year, Sme wrote.
The ministry believes that the new provision will motivate unemployed people to find long-term jobs. Moreover, another reason for passing the ban, according to the ministry, is the increase in illegal labour, for which temporary workers earned more money than they claimed.
“This [current] provision has been shown to be discriminatory towards job-seekers, and it fails to meet the goal for which it was introduced,” said the ministry, as quoted by the TASR newswire. “Employers often take advantage of this option to organise work via work performance agreements outside of regular job contracts, converting regular jobs into jobs involving work-performance agreements.”
Yet, Luboš Sirota from Trenkwalder recruitment agency doubts the necessity of the ministry’s proposal, saying that only people with low qualifications will work for €150 a month.
