Working life country profile for Slovakia
This profile describes the key characteristics of working life in Slovakia. It aims to provide the relevant background information on the structures, institutions, actors and relevant regulations regarding working life.
This includes indicators, data and regulatory systems on the following aspects: actors and institutions, collective and individual employment relations, health and well-being, pay, working time, skills and training, and equality and non-discrimination at work. The profiles are systematically updated every two years.
Industrial actions and the resolution of collective labour disputes are regulated by the law on collective bargaining. To defend their interests and pursue their demands, employees have the right to strike, and employers have the right to lock employees out of their premises. However, these tools are considered to be extreme and can be applied only when other options for settling the industrial conflict have failed. According to the law on collective bargaining, before calling a strike, trade unions must try to resolve the dispute through a conciliation or mediation procedure (konanie pred sprostredkovatelom). If this fails, either party can ask for an arbitrator, or trade unions can call a strike and employers can use a lockout (výluka).
A trade union decision on whether to strike must be based on the results of a secret ballot, whereby a majority of votes is needed. Trade unions can opt for different types of strike; usually a strike takes the form of a work stoppage but on rare occasions it can be a work-to-rule. Before going on strike, trade unions declare a strike alert (strajková pohotovost) or call a short-time warning strike to put pressure on the employer when bargaining. A strike can be considered illegal if it is not preceded by a formal claim for a collective agreement and an attempt at conciliation (apart from solidarity strikes), if it takes place while the collective agreement on the issue is still valid or if the arbitration process has started.
Strikes happen relatively rarely – there were only three genuine strikes during 2005–2010. In 2011, there were two symbolic warning strikes, while in 2012, two short-term strikes were organised by teachers. Some strikes were not organised in line with Act No. 2/1991 on collective bargaining, which regulates strikes; instead, they were based on the constitutional right of Slovak citizens to strike. During 2013–2015, there were no significant strikes but, in 2019–2022, the number of strikes increased. In this period, the highest number of working days were lost in 2020 (19 days) when 330 employees participated in three strikes.
In addition to the tools discussed previously, internal mechanisms and rules for conflict resolution can be agreed in collective agreements to prevent open conflicts. Internal mechanisms are usually agreed in collective agreements. In multiemployer collective agreements, bilateral parity committees are usually established to deal with disputes.
Civil courts can decide on the legitimacy of strikes, but such cases are rare.
Developments in industrial action, 2011–2022
2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Working days lost per 1,000 employees1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Number of strikes2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
Note: n.a., not available.
Sources: 1ETUI; 2Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (Štatistický úrad Slovenskej republiky).
Collective dispute resolution mechanisms
The standard mechanisms for dealing with collective labour disputes are conciliation or mediation and arbitration procedures. Collective labour disputes can concern the conclusion of a new collective agreement or the fulfilment of provisions or duties agreed by the contracting parties in existing multiemployer collective agreements or company agreements. Collective labour disputes usually arise from dismissals and wage issues.
Conciliation or mediation takes place only if the parties desire it and it is aimed at bringing the two parties in a collective dispute to an agreement. Conciliators and mediators are available from a list maintained by the MPSVR SR. If conciliation or mediation fails, the parties may agree to refer the dispute to arbitration. The MPSVR SR, at the request of any of the contractual parties, may appoint an arbitrator if the dispute concerns the interpretation of an existing collective agreement or in companies where strike action is forbidden due to the nature of the profession or work, such as in some specialised civil service and public service areas. Either party can appeal the arbitrator’s ruling to the civil court within 15 days once the decision has been delivered; otherwise, the ruling is legally binding. If the arbitrator’s ruling is endorsed as invalid, the same arbitrator deals with the case again. If this is not possible, the MPSVR SR appoints another arbitrator.
Individual dispute resolution mechanisms
Specialised labour courts do not exist in Slovakia. Disputes between an employee and their employer over claims deriving from labour law relations, mainly from the Labour Code, are heard and decided by the civil courts. Participants can resolve their disputed claims by an agreement on those claims, which must be in writing or, otherwise, it is invalid.
Use of dispute resolution mechanisms, 2012–2022
2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Number of cases registered by the MPSVR SR | 15 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 28 | 26 | 20 | 18 |
Source: MPSVR SR (undated)
Use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms
With the exception of 2013 and 2021, among the available dispute resolution mechanisms, the use of conciliation or mediation dominated in 2012–2022. For instance, in 2019 and 2020, conciliation or mediation was used in 23 and 22 cases out of 28 and 26 registered labour disputes, respectively. Only conciliation or mediation was used in 2015 and 2022.
Dispute resolution mechanisms are used effectively, and almost all registered disputes are successfully resolved. The majority of disputes concern the conclusion of new collective agreements or supplements to existing agreements.
Use of dispute resolution mechanisms, 2012–2022
2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Number of conciliation or mediation cases | 14 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 23 | 22 | 13 | 18 |
| Number of arbitration cases | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Source: MPSVR SR (undated)
