Staff - Slovakia

Updated 04. 2010

Legal requirements

The area of employment and the rights of employees and employers are governed by the regulations of the Slovak government and the orders and measures of the Slovak Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and the Family.

Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic
Slovak Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and the Family

The main employment law legislation in Slovakia is the Labour Code.

Labour Code

Legal relationships in the provision of employment services are regulated by the Act on Employment Services.

Act on Employment Services [606 KB]

Employment conditions

The Labour Inspectorate monitors adherence to:

provisions of the law, rules and regulations on employment conditions, occupational health and safety and the safety of machinery and equipment,
rules dealing with employment law relationships, including the ban on illegal work and illegal employment,
wage laws,
collective agreements.
National Labour Inspectorate

As an employee you can work up to 40 hours a week. Employees working a two-shift system may work up to 38 ¾ works a week. Employees working a three-shift system or who are involved in uninterrupted work may work up to 37 ½ hours a week.

Employers must abide by the rules on occupational health and safety. Before starting a new job an employee must complete a medical examination.

Occupational health and safety
Labour Code
Act on Occupational Health and Safety

Employers must provide employees with pay in return for the work performed. The pay must not be less than the minimum pay stipulated by the specific legislation.

Minimum pay [26 KB]
Labour Code, Sections 119 - 124

The minimum basic holiday allowance is four weeks. The employee has a right to a holiday:

per calendar year or part thereof
per days worked
additional holidays
Labour Code, Sections 101 - 107

Employment contracts

Employment is based on a written contract between the employer and employee, which may be concluded for a fixed or indefinite period. Employment for a fixed period may be agreed for up to three years. Within these three years it may be extended or renewed once.

Employment contracts and the start of employment
Labour Code, Sections 42 - 49

In the case of work performed without an employment relationship, the employer and employee must conclude a work agreement.

Work agreement
Labour Code, Sections 49 - 50

It is also possible to agree other terms in an employment contract, such as material benefits or a trial period. A trial period may last up to three months and may not be extended.

If an employee carries out work abroad and works there for longer than one month, the employer shall state in the employment contract the period of working abroad, the currency in which the wage will be paid and other conditions connected with working abroad or conditions for bringing the employee home from abroad.

Employment contract
Labour Code, Section 43

An employment contract may be terminated by agreement, by the serving of notice, by immediate notice or by termination during a trial period.

Termination of employment

Employment of foreigners

An employer may only employ foreigners:

who have an employment permit and a temporary residence permit for the purposes of employment
who are applying for asylum and who are allowed to seek work under the specific legislation
Employment of foreigners
Act on Employment Services, Section 21 [606 KB]

There are minimum social rules to follow, especially about non-discrimination, gender equality and health and safety.

Staff welfare — Slovakia

Administrative procedures

Start and termination of employment

Employment is based on a written employment contract signed by both the employer and the employee. It is drawn up in two copies, one of which is for the employee.

An employment contract must include (otherwise it will be invalid):

type of work involved,
place where work will be performed,
start date of the work,
pay conditions, unless agreed in a collective agreement.
Labour Code
Employment contract

It is your duty as an employer:

to sign up to the Social Insurance Agency's Register of Employers within eight days of the day on which you start to employ at least one employee, and to sign off from the register within eight days of the day on which you cease to employ any employees,
to sign up to the Insurance Register and the Register of Pension Scheme Contributors
Registration of employees with the Social Insurance Agency
Act on Social Insurance
Registration papers of Social Insurance Agency

Social Security Contributions

The Social Insurance Agency provides workers with benefits for medical care and payments in case of sickness, injury, child-birth, unemployment, old age or invalidity, which helps to ensure a secure and stable life for employees.

You can find out about the obligations of employers towards the Social Insurance Agency at:

Social Insurance Agency
Social Insurance Agency Forms

The Health Insurance Agency provides general health insurance. If you employ more than 8 employees insured by one health insurance agency you shall submit to the health insurance agency a Notification of Change of Insurance Premium Payer in electronic form, unless agreed otherwise with the insurance company.

Contributions to pay

If you employ a jobseeker registered at an employment office for at least three months, you may obtain from the Office of Labour, Social Affairs and the Family a contribution to support the employment.

Contributions to pay are also provided by the Office of Labour to employees who have been on the register of jobseekers for at least 3 months prior to starting the employment and at the same time are receiving benefits and contributions because they are in need and have made a written request for a contribution.

Online government service

Work permits for foreign workers

If you want to employ a foreign worker, a permit will be issued to you by the office for the local area in which he will work. You will obtain a permit only if it is not possible to fill the vacant position with a registered jobseeker.

Employment of foreigners
Form - Granting work permits to foreigners

Record-keeping

One of the main duties of an employer is to keep records of employees for the purposes of social insurance and pension fund contributions. This applies from the start of the social insurance and pension fund contributions of the employee, for the whole period during which the insurance and the contributions last.

Employer's record for the Social Insurance Agency
Forms for the record

Dismissal

The Slovak Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and the Family handles employment law matters and, through the Labour Inspectorates, performs inspections at workplaces.

Employers and employees may terminate employment through serving notice. Notice must be delivered in writing, otherwise it is not valid.

Notice may not be served to an employee during a protected period. You may serve notice to physically disabled employees only with the prior consent of the Office of Labour, Social Affairs and the Family.

Termination of employment

An employer may serve notice to an employee only on the grounds set out in the Labour Code.

Labour Code, Section 61

Resources

Employers often provide opportunities for regular training and development. Measures aimed at furthering and improving the qualifications of employees are negotiated with employee representatives.

Improving qualifications

EURES, the European job portal, offers employers information and support on recruiting across the EU. As well as assisting jobseekers, it helps entrepreneurs find workers from across the EU. In border regions, EURES provides information on cross-border commuting and helps workers and employers with problems that may arise.

Programmes

If an employer-businessman wants to employ a registered unemployed person, he may claim a contribution for employing a physically-disabled applicant on the basis of fulfilling certain conditions. The contribution will be paid for a period of up to 24 months

Support for the employment of physically-disabled persons

Check also the legislation on this topic in:

Staff - Slovakia