Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Factsheet for measure SK-2018-12/1071 – Updated – measures in Slovakia
Country |
Slovakia
, applies locally
|
Time period | Open ended, started on 18 March 2018 |
Context | COVID-19 |
Type | Bipartite collective agreements |
Category |
Ensuring business continuity and support for essential services
– Change of work arrangements (working time, rota schemes) |
Author | Rastislav Bednarik, Ludovit Cziria, Daniela Keselova, Miroslava Kordosova (IVPR) and Eurofound |
Measure added | 08 September 2020 (updated 13 May 2021) |
In relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Slovak government adopted several measures to alleviate its impact on employers, employees as well as citizens. Many of them were implemented through changes in the Labour Code, Act on Social insurance and other related legislations. For instance, new rules for implementation of homeworking and different types of short-time working schemes included in the First aid package. They had an impact on the operation of companies, employment and working conditions of employees. Oil refinery Slovnaft, a.s. MOL group in Bratislava responded to their implementation in cooperation with the local trade unions.
Activities of the management and trade unions in Slovnaft company resulted in the conclusion of different agreements between Slovnaft MOL management and local trade unions of ECHOZ, including subcontracts to existing collective agreements. Their content was aimed at keeping the sustainability of production and related service activities of the company during the corona crisis with a lower number of workers active in the company, health protection, prevention of social hardship of COVID-19 pandemic and social security of employees.
Particular attention was paid to the implementation of short-time scheme (kurzarbeit), homeworking and social support to trade union members. Conditions under which these changes will be realised were specified in agreements concluded between management and trade unions. For instance, the implementation of the short-time scheme with 70% wage replacement and homeworking were included in subcontract to company collective agreement.
The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.
13 May 2021 |
The original agreement expired by 30 June 2020. But due to the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, it was renewed and is still valid. |
Agreements between Slovnaft MOL management in Bratislava are also applied to other business units, which are parts of Slovnaft, a. s. MOL group: VURUP research a laboratories and Slovnaft Montáže a opravy, a.s. (assembly and repairs company). The agreements were effective since March 2020 and their implementation resulted in ensuring the continuation of production and services, maintenance of employment in the company and sustainability of social standards of employees working there.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Applies to all workers |
Companies providing essential services
Larger corporations |
Does not apply to citizens |
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
Trade unions
Company / Companies |
Companies
|
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative |
Form | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
This is a joint initiative of the management of Slovnaft, a.s. MOL Group in Bratislava and local trade union organisation of Energy-Chemical Trade Union Association (ECHOZ).
According to the local trade union organisation of ECHOZ, the implementation of temporary agreements with the company management contributed to ensuring the continuity of production in the company as well as providing commercial services and saved the health of employees employed by the company.
This case is sector-specific (only private sector)
Economic area | Sector (NACE level 2) |
---|---|
C - Manufacturing | C20 Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products |
This case is not occupation-specific.
Citation
Eurofound (2020), Agreements between Slovnaft MOL management and local trade unions , measure SK-2018-12/1071 (measures in Slovakia), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/SK-2018-12_1071.html
19 May 2022
This publication consists of individual country reports on working life during 2021 for 28 countries (the 27 EU Member States and Norway).
Publication24 June 2020
COVID-19: Policy responses across Europe
This report aims to present an overview of both large-scale government measures and collective agreements that impact on large groups of workers.
16 June 2022
Throughout 2021, the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, specific occupational health and safety rules were reintroduced due to increases in infection rates.
Article16 June 2022
Back to work after COVID-19: Testing, vaccines and green certificates
In the second pandemic year 2021, access to one's place of work was increasingly dependent on providing proof of either having been tested, vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 in several countries.
Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.