PEOPLE hired via temporary employment agencies will work under the same conditions as their colleagues hired directly by the given company as of the beginning of next year. This stems from the amendment to the Labour Code passed by the parliament on December 2, the TASR newswire reported.
The amendment introduces the principle of joint responsibility for an employee on the part of the given temporary employment agency and the company using its services. The responsibility is associated with the remuneration of employees. According to the new rules, temporary employees should have the same payment conditions as internal employees of the company if the two carry out the same or very similar tasks. If a temporary employee receives a smaller salary, it will be not only up to the agency but also the company concerned to compensate for the difference.
In addition, temporary employees will be granted greater protection when laid off. The amendment introduces an interim six-month period if an employee with a fixed-term contract is made redundant.
“Temporary employees have been employed for fixed-term periods of either three, six or twelve months based on the volume of work so far,” Labour Minister Ján Richter said, as quoted by TASR. “If a change occurred over this period, with the firm losing commissions, for example, the employer had the right to lay off the employee overnight if the agency did not have another job for them.”
Richter added that if temporary employees find themselves in a similar situation now, the agency as the employer will be obliged to pay a certain amount to the person.
“This will be in effect until the end of next June,” Richter said, as quoted by TASR, adding that the measure will boost the rights of agency employees and give employers enough time to get ready to provide equal conditions for agency employees and regular employees as stipulated by the amended Labour Code.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
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