On January 31 Slovakia’s Labour Ministry submitted the first draft of its proposals for changes in the country’s Labour Code to a session of a tripartite working group consisting of representatives of employees, employers and the government, the TASR newswire reported.
According to Prime Minister Iveta Radičová the new Labour Code will introduce a higher level of protection for employees and will reduce bureaucracy.
"We're introducing a parenting amendment, a tool to harmonise work and family," said Radičová at a press conference held later in the day, adding that the changes are designed to introduce more flexible working hours, parental leave that can be divided up into several periods, and the option of creating jobs shared by more than one employee.
According to Radičová, the amended Labour Code is designed to "protect those who need that protection most". The level of protection will be linked to qualifications, salary and the number of years the employee has worked for the company. "The lower the salary and lower the position within the company, the higher the level of protection for the employee," she said.
The measures will include, for example, the shortening of trial periods from three months to one "for workers, trades with lower qualifications and wages," said Labour Minister Jozef Mihál.
"We appreciate the information presented by the prime minister. These are issues that we can talk about," said Trade Union Confederation (KOZ) president Miroslav Gazdík. The Slovak Employers Union (RÚZ) chairman, Marián Jusko, refused to comment on the government's proposals.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
