Background information

Heavy rains between 4 and 6 August 2023 caused devastating floods that claimed several lives, destroyed homes, and swept away roads and infrastructure. Floods and landslides made many sites unreachable, and settlements cut off from access to water, gas and electricity. Half of Slovenian municipalities (or 17,203 square kilometres) were severely hit, particularly the Gorenjska, Štajerska, and Koroška regions. The government’s quick response was aimed at helping people with temporary accommodations, repairing the damage, and keeping people employed. The Amended Natural Disaster Recovery Act (ZOPNN-F, issued on 10 August 2023), and the Act Determining Intervention Measures for Recovery from the Floods and Landslides of August 2023 (ZIUOPZP, issued on 1 September 2023) provided four employment protection measures:

• Wage compensation for workers who cannot work due to floods and landslides ( force majeur );
• Paid absence from work for up to seven working days for volunteers helping in the aftermath of a natural disaster;
• A partial wage compensation for temporary laid off workers;
• Wage compensation for employees undertaking emergency repairs for the company.

Content of measure

The Amended Natural Disaster Recovery Act (ZOPNN-F) and the Act Determining Intervention Measures for Recovery from the Floods and Landslides of August 2023 (ZIUOPZP) stipulate a complete or partial wage compensation for employees affected by natural disaster.

First, the wage compensation on the grounds of force majeur is entirely covered by the state from 3 August to 31 December 2023 for workers who cannot come to work. The compensation cannot be lower than minimum wage. Employers may not dismiss employees whose jobs are subsidised or initiate collective dismissal while receiving the support. Companies that pay dividends, performance incentives, and awards to managers or buy their own shares after 3 August 2023 must reimburse the entire amount of assistance.

Second, volunteers participating in damage repairs are entitled to entire wage compensation up to seven days.

Third, employers may claim a partial wage compensation for workers to whom they cannot provide work from 3 August to 30 October (with possible extension to 31 December). Employees receive 80% of their average salary in the last three months, but not higher than the average salary in May 2023 and lower than the minimum wage. Employers’ obligations are the same as for force majeure, except that the ban on dismissal is extended (while receiving subsidies and during the subsequent period equivalent to the time the employer was getting support).

Fourth, employees whose places of employment have been destroyed and are engaged in emergency repairs for employers between 3 August and 3 September 2023 have the right to full wage compensation, but not more than the average income in May 2023 or less than the minimum wage.

The Employment Service of Slovenia (ZRSZ) administers the measure.

Use of measure

By 8 October 2023, the Employment Service of Slovenia had received 2,548 applications for 22,743 employees. Employers submitted 1,635 applications for 9,318 wage compensations due to force majeure, 624 applications for 6,304 temporary layoff compensation, and 289 wage subsidy applications for 7,121 employees engaging in flood and landslide restoration efforts.

Until 14 January 2024, the Government paid €1,146,168 in wage compensations due to force majeure and €2,924,339 in temporary layoff compensation to workers affected by floods and landslides

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Other groups of workers	Does not apply to businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	European Funds National funds

Social partners

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

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Unknown	Unknown
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

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

• Unknown
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

Employers’ organisations, members of the Economic and Social Council (Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia – GZS, Slovenian Chamber of Commerce – TZS, Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia – OZS, Association of Employers Slovenia – ZDS, Association of Employers in Craft and Small Business of Slovenia – ZDOPS) have blocked negotiations since 20 July 2023. The emergency law was thus prepared without prior negotiation with the social partners.

Views and reactions

No information available.

Sources

• 20 July 2023: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia – GZS, Slovenian Chamber of Commerce – TZS, Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia – OZS, Association of Employers Slovenia – ZDS, Association of Employers in Craft and Small Business of Slovenia – ZDOPS, Letter to the Prime Minister Robert Golob and the president of the ESS Jakob Počivalše (www.ess.si)
• 10 August 2023: Natural Disaster Recovery Act (Zakon o odpravi posledic naravnih nesreč, ZOPNN-F (www.pisrs.si)
• 01 September 2023: Act Determining Intervention Measures for Recovery from the Floods and Landslides of August 2023 (Zakon o interventnih ukrepih za odpravo posledic poplav in zemeljskih plazov iz avgusta 2023, ZIUOPZP (www.pisrs.si)
• 01 September 2023: IUS-INFO, Ukrepi za pomoč prizadetim v avgustovskih poplavah in plazovi (www.iusinfo.si)
• 05 October 2023: IUS-INFO, Prebivalcem, gospodarstvu in občinam več kot pol milijarde za odpravo posledic popla (www.iusinfo.si)
• 05 October 2023: The Government of Slovenia, More than half a billion euro to help people, businesses and municipalities to recover from flood (www.gov.si)
• 11 October 2023: Finance: The Employment Service paid first compensations for temporary layoffs after the floods (Zavod izplačal delodajalcem prva povračila za čakanje na delo po poplavah (live.finance.si)