AMENDMENT TO LABOUR CODE

(Act No. 210/2003 Coll., amending and supplementing the Act No. 311/2001 Coll., the Labour Code, as amended)

The aim of this act, by which the Labour Code is amended and supplemented (the ``Amendment'') is to secure larger flexibility of labour relations in the Slovak Republic, reduce the amount of mandatory (cogent) provisions and create prerequisites for autonomous collective bargaining of social partners in a larger degree. The Amendment responds to comments of the International Labour Organisation on the Labour Code of the Slovak Republic as well as on requirements of application practice.

In compliance with provisions of the Council Directive 2000/78/EC establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation, the Amendment has supplemented the Labour Code by provisions, the aim of which is to eliminate direct or indirect discrimination in labour relations. The Labour Code expressly stipulates that an employer may not inquire about sexual orientation of its employee.

The Amendment has also eliminated the prohibition of employment relationship between husband and wife.

The Amendment eliminates the previously valid administrative intervention of other institutions into labour relations in case of some legal institutes. The Amendment has introduced definitions of terms such as 'pregnant employee' and 'breastfeeding employee' for labour purposes.

The Amendment makes the types of employment relations flexible so that the employer could arrange the fulfilment of tasks depending on the fact whether these tasks are long-term or temporary.

• Employment relationship
• Termination of employment relationship
• Working time and days of rest, paid holiday, overtime work
• Faulty work
• Obstructions to work, time off and wage compensation in case of obstructions to work
• Agreements on work performed outside employment relationship
• Collective labour relationships