EIROnlineThe European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) is a monitoring instrument offering news and analysis on European industrial relations. Its aim is to collect, analyse and disseminate high-quality and up-to-date information on key developments in industrial relations in Europe. It aims primarily to serve the needs of national and European level organisations of the social partners, governmental organisations and EU institutions.Pressure mounts for wage increase in healthcare sector- January 22, 2007 Healthcare workers have been asking for a wage increase for some time. At the beginning of 2006, doctors went on strike in an effort to get their wages increased. The current government is dealing with the healthcare workers demands for a wage increase, and hoping to introduce the increase in 1 January 2007. While some trade unionists are hoping for a 30% rise in wage, this has been refuted by the Minister of Health, as it would put a significant burden on the state budgetary resources. At the..http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2006/12/articles/sk0612039i.html Bolstering employers role in sectoral collective bargaining- January 22, 2007 Sectoral collective bargaining has enjoyed a consistently strong position in Slovakia. According to surveys, however, employers do not usually have as great a role in sectoral social dialogue as trade unions. Some employers feel that sectoral collective agreements put them at a disadvantage and therefore try to avoid signing them. In order to improve this situation, a project called Social dialogue and strengthening of the employers position has been initiated in Slovakia. This project,...http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2006/12/articles/sk0612049i.html Unions satisfied with new collective agreement in civil service- January 22, 2007 In October 2006, trade unions in the civil service concluded a new sectoral collective agreement for 2007. The unions have achieved less than they had initially demanded from the new government but do not intend to resort to protest action. Most of the agreed terms and conditions of employment remained as they were in the 2006 collective agreement. The pay rates of civil servants will increase, but only by 4% compared with the 8% increase proposed by the trade unions. Despite this development,..http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2006/12/articles/sk0612059i.html Government increases minimum wage by 10%- January 15, 2007 On 1 October 2006, the new Slovakian government increased the minimum monthly wage from SKK 6,900 to SKK 7,600 (199 to 220). This represents a 10.1% rise. The new rate satisfies earlier trade union demands on the minimum wage increase while employers had hoped for a more moderate increase. Major changes in the rules governing the minimum wage are expected. The new government has declared its intention to introduce new legislation on the minimum wage, as well as adopting a new approach to wage..http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2006/11/articles/sk0611039i.html Respect for employees privacy in IT use at work- January 9, 2007 In Slovakia, protection of employees privacy in relation to the use of new information and communication technologies in the workplace, such as the internet and email, is not regulated by law. Although cases of unauthorised usage have resulted in disciplinary proceedings, there are no known cases of labour disputes in this matter. This topic has not been the subject of collective bargaining, nor has it been included in the agenda of the social partners. Moreover, legislative regulation of the...http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2006/11/articles/sk0611019i.html Controversy over number of employer organisations in tripartite council- January 4, 2007 From 1991 to 2004, employers in Slovakia were organised in one central organisation the Federation of Employers Associations. However, in 2004, a number of employers left this organisation and established a new group the National Union of Employers. Both organisations represent employers in the national tripartite concertation, where sometimes they express different viewpoints. The current chair of the tripartite council recently declared that it would be better if the employers were...http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2006/11/articles/sk0611029i.html |