Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2017, published 107th ILC session (2018)

Paid Educational Leave Convention, 1974 (No. 140) - Slovakia (Ratification: 1993)

Application in practice. Articles 2–5 of the Convention. Formulation and application of a policy designed to promote the granting of paid educational leave. For a number of years the Committee has been requesting the Government to provide information, including documentation and statistics to permit an assessment of the manner in which the Convention is applied in practice, in both the private and public sectors. The Government indicates that the requested information is unavailable, as each individual employer chooses which educational courses, programmes and activities its employees undertake according to the specific needs of the enterprise. The Government once again refers in its report to sections 140 and 153–155 of the Labour Code as the relevant provisions giving effect to the Convention. The Government adds that the formulation and implementation of a policy designed to promote the granting of paid educational leave and the involvement of the social partners in the implementation of this policy is expressed in these sections of the Labour Code. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that it is for the employer to decide, taking into account operating and economic possibilities, whether to increase the qualifications of its workers. In this regard, the Labour Code provides that the worker is not obligated to pay for costs incurred in respect of continuing education, unless the specific conditions of section 155, paragraph 5, of the Labour Code apply. The Committee notes that, while the Labour Code addresses paid educational leave, the Government does not appear to have formulated a national policy in consultation with the social partners designed to promote the granting of paid educational leave. Furthermore, the Labour Code does not address paid educational leave for the purposes of general, social, civic and trade union education, as required under Article 2 of the Convention. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the policy and on measures taken in consultation with the social partners, to promote the granting of paid educational leave for the purpose of general, social and civic education (Article 2(b)), and trade union education (Article 2(c)). It also requests the Government to provide information on measures taken or envisaged to raise awareness of the availability of paid educational leave as part of skills development and lifelong learning and reiterates its request that the Government provide general information on the manner in which the Convention is applied in practice in the private and public sectors.

Article 6. Participation of the social partners. The Government indicates that it is the employer’s duty to take measures aimed at continuing staff education and training, in consultation with workers’ representatives. However, the Government does not provide specific information on the involvement of workers’ representatives. The Committee requests the Government to provide more detailed information on the manner in which the employers’ and workers’ organizations are involved in the formulation and implementation of the policy for the promotion of paid educational leave for all of the purposes envisaged under Article 2(a)-(c).