Background information

In accordance with the Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Contain the COVID-19 Epidemic and Mitigate its Consequences for Citizens and the Economy (ZIUZEOP) and its amendment ZIUZEOP-A, in force since 1 May 2020, employers had to pay a monthly crisis allowance to employees, working during the COVID-19 epidemic (from 12 March 2020 to 31 May 2020). The crisis allowance (€200 per month for full-time work) was received by all employees with a monthly income under three times the minimum wage (€2821.74 gross).

Also workers in social enterprises and employment centres (status under the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities Act - ZZRZI) were entitled to the crisis allowance, but there was a problem with providing funds for payments and therefore the state ensured the reimbursement of these payments - but only for workers with disabilities.

The funds for that payments for other workers in social enterprises and employment centres had to be provided from the existing tax exemptions and relieves on the basis of the ZZRZI (Article 74).

Content of measure

Social enterprises and employment centres (status under the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities Act - ZZRZI) had to apply for a refund of the crisis allowances for the for workers with disabilities at The Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund of the Republic of Slovenia (SRIPS Fund) . According to the general rules, part-time workers were entitled to proportional amount of crisis allowance, while part-time workers with disabilities were entitled to full allowance (€200 per month). For the three months of the measure's validity (the COVID-19 epidemic was in Sklovenia declared from 12 March 2020 to 31 May 2020), a total of €1.65 million of reimbursements were paid to the workers with disabilities.

Use of measure

The SRIPS Fund received a total of 554 applications from social enterprises and employment centers. Reimbursement of the crisis allowance was claimed for a 4,790 workers with disabilities for work in March 2020, for 3,977 workers with disabilities for work in April 2020 and for 4,457workers with disabilities for work in May 2020. The crisis allowance was particularly important for workers with disabilities as they belong to the group of vulnerable low-wage employees.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Disabled workers	Other businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Employers' organisations Public support service providers	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Unknown	Consulted
Form	Not applicable	Direct consultation outside a formal body

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Only employers' organisations
• Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

In Slovenia, the epidemic was declared on 12 March 2020, and the new government took office on 13 March 2020. Social dialogue through a key tripartite body, i.e. the Economic and Social Council (ESS), could not start until 30 April, when the new government nominated its representatives to the ESS. The newly composed ESS met for the first time on 15 May 2020. Due to above mentioned, the first two packages of anti-COVID-19 legislation (ZIUZEOP-A was part of second package) were adopted with a very reduced social dialogue.

The Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, which prepared the proposed measure, stated, that “due to the speed of preparation of measures” two partners were involved “via telephone communication”, namely The Alliance of Companies Employing Disabled People of Slovenia – ZIPS, that represents a businesses which have been granted the status of companies employing disabled people, and the Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund of the Republic of Slovenia as the state institution responsible for promoting the employment of people with disabilities.

Views and reactions

The Alliance of Companies Employing Disabled People of Slovenia – ZIPS supports the measure, as it was particularly important for the workers with disabilities as a group of vulnerable low-wage employees. It was also important that the state ensured the reimbursement of payments, as social enterprises and employment centres did not have their own funds for this payments.

Sources

• 25 June 2004: Zakon o zaposlitveni rehabilitaciji in zaposlovanju invalidov (ZZRZI) (pisrs.si)
• 30 April 2020: Zakon o interventnih ukrepih za zajezitev epidemije COVID-19 in omilitev njenih posledic za državljane in gospodarstvo, ZIUZEOP-A [Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Contain the COVID-19 Epidemic and Mitigate its Consequences for Citizens and the Economy (www.uradni-list.si)
• 05 May 2020: Government notice: Crisis allowance for workers with disabilities in social enterprises and employment centers
• 31 May 2020: SRPIS Notice: Crisis allowance for employees with disabilities working in social enterprises and employment centers (www.srips-rs.si)