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| September 24, 2018

Possible change of how vacation days are assessed

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An amendment to the Labour Code is currently in the reflection process.

It follows from the explanatory memorandum that the major changes pertain to the minimum wage and the lowest rates of the guaranteed wage. The proposal is for a firmly set mechanism for the adjustment of the minimum wage and conditions for assessment of the lowest rates of the guaranteed wage, so that the minimum wage is regularly increased, so that it does not become subject to major fluctuations, and so that its rate is easily and in advance estimable (average gross monthly nominal salary in the national economy for the calendar year before last multiplied by 0,548). The guaranteed wage shall newly pertain also to reimbursement from agreement on work happening outside of the scope of the hours stemming from employment. A new institute of the shared job position is being introduced, etc. It could also be possible that the period of three days of sickness for which employees do not receive reimbursement will be abolished.

 The proposed amendment to the Labour Code also includes major changes to the area of leave of absence. It proposes to abandon the current principle of vacation for worked days.  Newly, the principle should be based on weekly work hours (1/52 of vacation per year for every worked weekly work hours). The length of vacation for a calendar year would be assessed by multiplying the length of weekly work hours and the number of weeks of vacation to which the employee is entitled to per calendar year. The right for vacation would thus be expressed in hours (i.e. 40 hours/week * number of vacation days 4 = 160 hours of vacation / year). Based on a written request by the employer, it would be newly possible to transfer some vacation hours exceeding 4 weeks into the following calendar year. 

It was suggested that these amendments come into force July 1, 2019, and for the parts concerning leave of absence January 1, 2020.