The Labour Code in the Republic of Slovakia
| Pages | 603-612 |
| Published date | 01 December 2005 |
| Date | 01 December 2005 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01425450510626135 |
| Author | Borislav Majtan |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
The Labour Code
in the Republic
of Slovakia
603
Employee Relations
Vol. 27 No. 6, 2005
pp. 603-612
#Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/01425450510626135
The Labour Code in the
Republic of Slovakia
Borislav Majtan
President, Slovak Trade Union of Workers in Wood Processing,
Forestry, Paper and Cellulose and Water Supplies (TUWFPCW),
Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to examine how the Slovak Labour Code has evolved as a result of the
‘‘velvet revolution’’ which saw Czechoslovakia begin the transition from a ‘‘command’’ to a ‘‘market
economy, the establishment of a separate Czech Republic and a Slovak Republic and Slovakia’s
accession to membership of the European Union.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper attempts to provide an empirical contribution to the
understanding of how the process of industrial relations is evolving in the new democracies of
Eastern and Central Europe in the post-communist period.
Findings – The paper highlights how the detailed codification of trade union rights of the
communist era have been drastically reformed in light of the Slovak Republic adopting a market
economy and adopting the EU’s social acquis communautaire. The governments desire to liberalise
and encourage a more flexible labour market has seen many of the old powers of the trade unions
transferred to other forms of employee representation such as works councils and works tr ustees.
Research limitations/implications – The author has described the strategy of the government to
marginalise trade unions by introducing works councils and transferring functions to them, which
had previously been performed by the trade unions.
Originality/value – The paper provide an interesting insight into how ‘‘players’’ in the ‘‘employee
relations game’’ perceive the re-codification of the Slovak Labour Code. There seems to be a mixed
response to the changes, for whilst the union claims that it is able to boast a 95 per cent success rate
in winning cases in the courts arising out of the rights and protections provided for employees in the
Labour Code, and not withstanding the very low incidence of industrial action, the paper notes with
some irony that there is significant school of opinion amongst Slovak trade unionists that the price
that they pay for all of this is some of the lowest wages in the region.
Keywords Trade unions, Employee relations, Industrial relations, Collective bargaining,
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic
Paper type Case study
This article focuses on the Labour Code developments in the Republic of Slovakia from
the perspective of the Slovak Trade Union of workers in wood processing, forestry,
paper and cellulose and water supplies (TUWFPCW) wh ich has around 35,000
members, and is one of the largest and most influential trade unions in the Republic.
The ‘‘Velvet Revolution’’
At the end of the 1980s, significant political and social changes took place in the fo rmer
Czechoslovakia, which presented the trade union movement with formidable
challenges. The transfer from a ‘‘command’’ economy to a market economy in 1989
brought with it a social and welfare ‘‘market orientation’’, which profoundly impacted
on trade union activities and the Labour Code. With the peaceful separation of the
former Czechoslovakia into two sovereign republics on the 1st January 1993, the
process of liberalising the Slovak economy and social and political systems accelerated.
The early years of the new Republic presented challenges for all Slovaks – especially
the trade unions. Privatisation, political instability – especially during the time of the
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