For more than half a year, Slovenia has been intensively preparing amendments to the Employment Relationship Act (ZDR-1), which is usually called the “little workers’ constitution.” Like any other exemplary EU country, we transpose and implement all EU regulations and directives into our legal order in as timely and effective manner as possible. Unfortunately, this often does not solve the most acute problems of the labor market and the adopted legal solutions do not always help the economy to achieve higher productivity.

In light of the constantly and rapidly changing world climate, there was a need for changes to provisions in labor law that have not been updated for years, namely on minimum wages and payment of salary.

The statutory right to vacation originally arose from the employer’s duty of care for its employees. The Austrian Vacation Act of 1976 is a manifestation of this duty of care. It provides for five – with some seniority six – weeks of vacation for each working year. The law also expressly states that vacation should be used up, if possible, by the end of the year in which it was accrued. However, the employer and employee must agree on the specific leave days. In general, this means that neither the employee can take off for vacation unilaterally, nor can the employer impose it. Therefore, if there is no agreement on the actual use of vacation, this leads to an accumulation of vacation days.

The end of 2022 has brought numerous and substantial updates to employment legislation in various areas, such as adjustments to the minimum content of the internal regulations and to the mandatory template for the employment contract, as well as a whole new piece of legislation regulating social dialogue: Law no. 367/2022 to replace the former Law no. 62/2011.

In today’s fast-evolving world, countries are continuously revising their labor laws to achieve the right balance between the needs of the workforce and the demands of the corporate sector. The Republic of Lithuania stands out in this regard, as its Labor Code seeks to provide flexibility in labor relations, all the while ensuring the rights of its employees are not undermined. A close examination of the Labor Code, local documentation practices, and the progressive legal shifts toward Western norms paints a comprehensive picture of the nation’s approach to employment dynamics.

The Slovak Republic’s amendment to the Whistleblowers Protection Act widens the scope of protection, shortens deadlines, and increases fines for non-compliance. Most provisions took effect on July 1, 2023, with some coming in on September 1, 2023.