Recent Changes To The Slovak Labour Code

• Published date: 17 October 2022
• Subject Matter: Employment and HR, Contract of Employment, Employee Benefits & Compensation
• Law Firm: Kinstellar
• Author: Mr Adam Hodoň and Matú' Kočí'ek

On 4 October 2022, the Slovak parliament adopted an amendment to the Labour Code (the "Amendment") that enters into effect on 1 November 2022. The aim of the Amendment is mainly to implement two EU directives (No. 2019/1152 on transparent and predictable working conditions in the EU and No. 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers) and to respond to certain requirements resulting from application practice. In this article, we present an overview of the most important changes.

1 Content of employment contracts

Essential elements of an employment contract
The essential elements of an employment contract have not changed, but the definition of the place of work has been clarified. The contract must contain either (i) the place of work (i.e., municipality, part of a municipality or another place designated by the parties), (ii) the places of work (if there are multiple), or (iii) a provision that the place of work is determined by the employee.

Extended information duty
It is possible to agree on other various conditions in the employment contract, if the employer and the employee wish so. However, compared to the previous legislation, the Amendment defines a wider range of working conditions that must be demonstrably notified to the employee, if these are not part of the employment contract:

(i) the method for determining the place of work or the main place of work (if there are multiple places of work agreed in the employment contract);

(ii) the weekly work schedule, the method and rules for organising the work schedule, the scope of providing a break at work and its duration, the continuous daily and weekly rest times, and the rules for overtime work, including the wage surcharge for overtime;

(iii) the duration of annual leave or the method for its determination;

(iv) the payment of wages and its payment date;

(v) the rules on the termination of employment, the length of the notice period or method for its determination (if it is unknown at the time of providing this information), the deadline for claiming the invalidity of employment termination; and

(vi) the right to receive training (if provided by the employer) and its scope.

Where it is possible, reference to the relevant provisions of the law or collective agreement (in such case also its description and parties) is sufficient.

The employer must inform employees hired prior to 1 November 2022 within one month from receiving a request for such information by an employee. Therefore...