European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
Eurofound's ERM database on restructuring-related legal regulations provides information on regulations in the Member States of the European Union and Norway which are explicitly or implicitly linked to anticipating and managing change.
Article 73 of the Labour Code; Article 13 of the Act on employment services
The employer who envisages collective redundancies (dismissals of at least 10 employees in companies with 21-99 workers, at least 10% of staff in companies with 100-299 workers, or at least 30 employees in companies with 300 or more worker, within 30 days) is obliged, at least 30 days before dismissals take place, to consult employees' representatives (or directly with the employees concerned if there are no employees' representatives) on planned dismissals and the matter of finding out if any other solution or the minimisation of redundancies is possible. At the same time, the employer is obliged to submit a copy of information about planned dismissals with an attached list of redundant employees and their contacts to the Labour Office (ÚPSVaR). Subsequent to consultations with employees´ representatives (trade unions or work councils/employee trustees), the employer is obliged to submit written information on outcomes of consultations to the Labour Office and employees' representatives.
Not earlier than one month after the delivery of the information to the Labour Office, the employer can give the employees notice or a proposal to terminate the employment contract by agreement. During this period the employer discusses with the Labour Office any measures that could enable mitigation of the negative effects of collective redundancies.
Some measures are discussed at the regional level because Labour Offices operate in the various areas and districts.
According to trade unions, to avoid procedures related to collective dismissals some employers frequently dismiss fewer employees within 30 days than what the Labour Code thresholds specify in terms of what counts as a collective dismissal.
Eurofound (2015), Slovakia: Public authorities information and consultation on dismissals, Restructuring legislation database, Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/legislationdb/public-authorities-information-and-consultation-on-dismissals/slovakia
Between the end of 2022 and the first half of 2023, almost 300,000 employees working for ‘big tech’ companies were laid off across the world, making headlines for months in global media. This development has been a shock, considering the high numbers of jobs in well-known tech corporations with a reputation for offering good working conditions and well-paid positions.
The retail banking sector is fertile ground for studying the impacts of digitalisation on work and employment. Financial services are increasingly provided online, without the intermediary of customer-facing institutions. Many banks in the sector have been undergoing serial restructuring since the global financial crisis, and it is one of the few service sectors with stagnant or declining employment.
Since 2011, the Restructuring support instruments database of the EU PolicyWatch has been collecting information on measures that assist companies and workers to anticipate and manage restructuring. This article looks at measures in the database aimed at supporting employees and employers during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022).
Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor database reveals the impact of the energy crisis on employment in the EU. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, energy prices have hit record highs. The European Commission imposed sanctions and limitations on the import of oil and gas from Russia, which has reacted by reneging on supply commitments to many Member States.
