Collective labour relationships

The Amendment stipulates directly in basic principles the right for collective bargaining also for employers by introducing of a right of employers for lock-out, as an institute similar to the strike.

The Amendment also newly regulates participation of employees at the employer by further employees' representatives being the employees' council and employees' confidant. Also, provisions related to the mutual co-operation of the employees' representatives are supplemented.

Newly regulated is the right for information and consultations resulting for the employees' representatives from the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council 2002/14/ES establishing a general framework for improving information and consultation rights of employees in the European Community, as well as Article 21 of Protocol amending the European Social Charter.

Under the Amendment, the employees' council may operate at the employer, which employs at least 50 employees. At the employers employing less than 50 employees, the employees' confidant may operate. The Amendment has also stipulated provisions related to the manner of election of employees' council, expressly stipulated reasons of termination of function of the employees' confidant, and exactly stated conditions for operation of employees' representatives and their protection.

(Source: (1) Act No. 210/2003 Coll. amending and supplementing the Act No. 311/2001 Coll. Labour Code, as amended, and (2) reasoning report to the Amendment to the Labour Code).

This act became effective on 1 July 2003, except for certain provisions which will become effective on 1 January 2004 or on the day on which the Agreement on Accession of the Slovak Republic to the European Union becomes valid.