The amendment is part of a package of changes to labor legislation designed to reduce excessive regulation of the business environment in strategic sectors. The amendments were drafted by the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization.
As noted in the explanatory memorandum to the draft, this model of labor relations is used in a number of EU countries, including Austria, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Estonia.
A “zero-hour” contract stipulates that the employer does not guarantee the employee a minimum number of working hours, and the employee is called upon to work as needed by the company.
At the same time, the employer is required to notify the employee of a work assignment at least 24 hours in advance, and the employee may refuse an offer made in violation of this deadline without facing disciplinary action.
According to the draft, the duration of a shift under such contracts may not exceed 12 hours, and the number of employees with “zero-hour” contracts will be limited to 30% of the company’s total workforce.
However, if an employee works a stable schedule for four consecutive months, the employer is required to transfer them to a standard employment contract with a fixed number of hours and a fixed salary.
