What is the newest issue of the employer newsletter about?

• Should a bully be fired even if he is protected?

The general workforce should be protected and the bully should be fired despite the lack of approval from the trade union or other relevant body. This is because the purpose of protection is not to condone violations of the law, but to allow the free conduct of certain activities.

• A remote worker's trip to the employer's office is not business travel if the office is designated as his place of work 

Specification of the place of work of a remote employee is important not only in the context of, for example, workplace accidents, but also in terms of determining whether the employee should be billed for travel expenses when called to the office by the employer.

• Sobriety testing also for civil law contracts

The regulation of the rules for checking sobriety and the presence of drugs similar to alcohol in the body is imminent. We can expect the regulations to go into effect in the first quarter of next year. 

• European Union streamlines the process of crossing EU borders 

Starting next year, third-country nationals wishing to cross the EU border will no longer undergo traditional border controls in order to receive a stamp in their passport. Instead, the entrant will have to register with the EES system before each trip.

• Claim for determination of the existence of an employment relationship is not subject to statute of limitations

As a rule, labour claims are subject to a statute of limitations. The statute of limitations is (as a rule) 3 years. However, this does not apply to a claim for establishing the existence of an employment relationship, which is not time-barred. 

• Changes in Labour Fund contributions

Further increase in employment costs. A new provision of the proposed Act on Employment of Foreigners to replace the Act on Promotion of Employment and Labour Market Institutions introduces the principle of setting mandatory contributions to the Labour Fund already from half of the minimum wage.

• When terminating a fixed-term employment contract, you will need to state the reason

Such an obligation stems from a draft amendment to the Labour Code. This is a revolutionary change, almost equating a fixed-term contract with an indefinite-term contract. It imposes additional responsibilities on HR departments and managers. 

• Rates for foreign business travel have changed

As of 29 November this year, the amounts of limits on accommodation and certain per diem rates for foreign business travel have changed.

• Salaries and allowances

We introduce a permanent column on current rates, percentages, minimum wages.