Technical Amendment to the Labour Code15/04/08 / cata_legal-tax-update

The long awaited legislative, technical and corrective amendment to Act No. 262/2006 Coll., the Labour Code, as amended (hereinafter the “Labour Code”), was disclosed under Act No. 362/2007 Coll. effective 1 January 2008.

Despite it is legislative, technical and corrective amendment, it also introduced some real changes such as the renewed possibility for managers to have their overtime work paid by a fixed fee, provided that the maximum permitted amount of 150 overtime hours per year is not exceeded.

Work breaks can newly be divided into several more breaks, provided that at least one them lasts for at least 15 minutes. The provisions applicable to work hours have been substantially liberalized; the new provisions of Section 84a admits any work hours (whether distributed evenly or unevenly) subject to one and only restriction: no shift can exceed 12 hours. Floating working hours and work hour accounts are subject to one rule: the prior consent from individual employees is now no longer required. Work hours for minors shall be extended 40 hours per week and no shift shall exceed 8 hours. Employees shall no longer have the right to receive severance pay upon termination of employment due to work injury or professional disease if the employer is released from the liability for such injury or illness. Employees who are rehired by the same employer under a work agreement do not have to return the severance pay.