Background information

On 25 November 2020, the Parliament passed the sixth COVID-19 law ( Act Determining Intervention Measures to Remedy the Consequences of the Second Wave of COVID-19 Epidemic , ZIUOPDVE). Several articles change regulations in the Labour Market Regulation Act. Some ease the temporary employment of unemployed persons or retired persons in sectors, struggling with COVID-19 epidemic. Another measure aims at accelerating the return of unemployed persons to the labour market. All interventions are time-limited. Another intervention limits the right of public servants.

Content of measure

Some measures ease the temporary employment of unemployed and retired persons in sectors, struggling with the consequences of COVID-19 epidemic. In the sixth COVID-19 law, the Article 59 stipulates that unemployed persons who are assigned jobs in the health and care sector replacing absent workers, retain the right to unemployment benefits. The payment of unemployment benefits is reactivated when they finish their temporary jobs. Article 60 eases the limits on employment of retired judicial police officers. Article 85 limits the rights of employed judicial police officers who can be sent to work on other locations in the radius of 70 kilometers from their workplace. In this case, the worker is entitled to 20% bonus.

Another measure obliges the unemployed person to accept the ‘suitable employment’ from the first day on since their registration with the Employment Service of Slovenia.

Use of measure

All measures are time-limited. Interventions relating the temporary employment in sectors hit by the epidemic are valid until 31 December 2020. They can be prolonged for another six months upon the government’s ordinance. The obligation of unemployed persons to accept the ‘suitable employment’ at once, is valid until 30 June 2021. The government can prolong it for another six months, until 31 December 2021.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Unemployed	Does not apply to businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Public employment service Public support service providers	National funds

Social partners

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

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Consulted	Consulted
Form	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies

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

• Social partners jointly
• Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

They were involved through negotiations in the Economic and Social Council.

Views and reactions

Employer organizations have proposed the minimum wage freeze to be included in the sixth COVID-19 law. In the letter of 20 November 2020, seven trade union confederations protested against their proposal. In the end, the minimum wage freeze was not integrated into law, so the planned minimum wage increase of 20% above the ‘minimum living expenses’ will probably occur in January 2021. As ‘minimum living expenses’ build on calculations in the year 2016, the increase will not reflect the real rise of living expenses from 2016 on.

Sources

• 29 October 2020: The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, GZS, Predlogi GZS za PKP6 [Proposals of The Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the sixth COVID-19 law (www.gzs.si)
• 20 November 2020: Pismo sedmih sindikalnih konfederacij poslancem [The letter of seven trade union confederations to MPs (www.iusinfo.si)
• 24 November 2020: The Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia, OZS, Amandmaji OZS na PKP6 [OZS Amendments to the sixth COVID-19 law (www.ozs.si)
• 25 November 2020: Zakon o interventnih ukrepih za omilitev posledic drugega vala epidemije COVID-19 (ZIUOPDVE) [Act Determining Intervention Measures to Remedy the Consequences of the Second Wave of COVID-19 Epicemic (www.iusinfo.si)