BRATISLAVA, February 2, (WEBNOVINY) — Employers are not happy with the theses to the prepared amendment to the Labor Code introduced earlier this week. After a meeting on Thursday with President Ivan Gasparovic, President of the Association of Employers (AZZZ) Tomas Malatinsky said that the government’s proposal is not exactly according to employers‘ expectations. “We thought that program theses of the government regarding the Labor Code will be better fulfilled,” said Malatinsky According to him, employers are not unified regarding the intention to differentiate the trial period according to the wage of an employee. Malatinsky said that employers clustered in the association will discuss the issue shortly. According to him, employers in agriculture view the issue differently from those in services or light and automotive industries.
President Ivan Gasparovic commented very briefly on the prepared changes suggesting that ”some considerations included there are quite realistic and correspond with this era.”
According to draft theses of the prepared amendment to the Labor Code introduced to social partners, the new piece of legislation should be more helpful to the family and protect those who need it most. The level of work and legal protection in the form of trial period will depend on the employee’s wage, qualification, or number of worked years.
The basic concept of the prepared revision to the Labor Code is making work relations more flexible, says Labor Minister Jozef Mihal. According to him the Labor Code will continue to protect employees with average and lower wages and some elements of protection of poorer paid employees should be toughened.
The unionists however want to preserve the Labor Code in its current form, as approved by the previous government led by Robert Fico. They initiated a petition with this purpose on January 10. On Thursday, the KOVO trade Union and the Integrated Trade Union will hold a protest rally in Kosice against the planned changes to the Labor Code. City transport will symbolically stop for ninety minutes in the afternoon.
Some theses to the prepared changes to the Labor Code that the Cabinet introduced to social partners earlier this week evoke satisfaction at first glance, said President of the Trade Unions Confederation (KOZ) Miroslav Gazdik. However, when one thinks about them more thoroughly, they evoke a smile but when details are scrutinized, then certain concerns arise,” he said after a meeting with President Ivan Gasparovic and employers over the prepared changes to the law. The submitted theses are vague according to him and open space for various possibilities and modifications. “Unless we do know paragraph texts regarding individual parts it is hard to say now whether it will bring something for protection of an employee or it will give employers a free hand to part with an inconvenient employee,” said the trade union leader.
Trade unions want to discuss the changes to the Labor Code with Prime Minister Iveta Radicova and Labor Minister Jozef Mihal on February 10 at their headquarters. Gazdik said that based on the outcome of these talks, they will adjust protests, which they, unfortunately already had to launch.
SITA