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The 2021 amendment to the Slovak Labour Code The amendment establishes better working conditions for so-called digital nomads. The legal definitions of working at home, telework, and occasional home office...

One of the “Covid 19 state measures” is designed to help employers to maintain jobs: employers can still receive subsidies to preserve jobs if they request them. In addition to employers, self-employed people and single person LLCs (in Slovak: jednoosobové s.r.o.) can also apply for state sub­sidies.   The subsidies employers can apply for are summarized as follows: 1. Employers who have closed or limited their operations due to a Slovak Public Health Authority decision     Type of measure: compensation of the employee’s salary (so-called Measure  No.1). Target group: employees who cannot perform their work due to obstacles faced by the employer according to Section 142 of the Labour Code (in Slovak: prekážky v práci). Contribution amount: 100% of the total cost of the work (i.e. employee’s gross salary plus contributions paid by employer) (in Slovak: cena práce), up to a maximum of EUR 1,100 per employee.  2. Employers who retain jobs even if their activities are interrupted or reduced during a declared emergency Type of measure: compensation of the employee’s salary. Target group: employees in an employment relationship. Contribution amount: 100% of the total cost of the work, up to a maximum of EUR 1,100 per employee (so-called Measure 3A), orContribution amount: flat-rate contribution to cover part of the salary costs of EUR 330 - 870 per employee (depending on the decline in sales) (so-called Measure 3B). The state has already published deadlines for submitting contribution applications for the last two months. For the month of February, it is possible to apply for a contribution until 30 April 2021; for March, the deadline is 31 May 2021.

The proposed Act on Support for Short-Time Working (Kurzarbeit) has been approved by the government and entered the parliamentary legislative process in March 2021. This legislation has been long awaited and widely welcomed by the business and industrial community. It will allow companies to continue to enjoy support for short-time working after the pandemic measures are over. As outlined in the Act’s general explanatory statement, this instrument’s main aim is to subsidize employees' salaries during situations outside the employer’s influence, such as a state of emergency, force majeure etc. The short-time regime will be activated if the employer is unable to assign work to at least one third of its employees to the agreed extent (i.e. when at least 10% of their prescribed weekly working time cannot be assigned). The overall scope, conditions, and mechanism for providing this support are all to be regulated by the act. According to Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, Milan Krajniak, employers, entrepreneurs, sole traders and their employees, or suppliers, need a predictable environment to operate successfully. It is crucial, therefore, that in the event of a crisis – caused for example by a pandemic – they can rely on the government stepping in to safeguard jobs. Subject to parliamentary approval, the Act is expected to enter into force at the beginning of 2022. Author: Roman Kettner

Have you heard about the latest developments in employment law? Modern working environments are leading to unprecedented challenges and the pandemic also conducts frequent and rapid changes to labour law.   In our webinar series CMS Employment Snack – the name says it all – you can find out how to best deal with the numerous employment law issues in appealingly presented and digestible portions. Our employment law experts provide frequent information here on everything you need to be aware of. We not only keep an eye on the legal situation in Austria but also on CEE jurisdictions.  The following episodes of our CMS Employment Snacks are currently available – we hope you enjoy listening: