Collective bargaining coverage is 96% while around 41% of all employees are trade union members.

General information on industrial relations in Slovenia is available on the ETUI’s worker representation website and on the EIRO website

Collective bargaining system

Collective bargaining takes place at three levels. There is national level bargaining in the tripartite Economic and Social Council where the social partners agree on the wage indexation mechanism and compensation for productivity to be followed in negotiations at lower levels.

Sectoral collective agreements cover all 28 industrial sectors while there are other agreements for certain professions (such as journalists and physicians) as well as for civil servants. In all, there are 34 sectoral and subsectoral agreements.

In 2004, after years of centralised and restricted wage policy a new model was defined: only a minimal wage increase is agreed at national level while the final increase is fixed by the partners at sectoral level, considering the specific situation in the sector.

Collective bargaining coverage is close to 100% as the situation is similar to Austria, with employers required to be members of local chambers of commerce that negotiate sectoral agreements and these are then extended to all employees.

Further agreements are possible at company or plant level that improve on the provisions of the sectoral and national agreements.

There has been a legal right to establish company-level works councils since 1993. These are information and consultation bodies and do not get involved in collective bargaining.

Legal regulation of pay and working conditions

There is a statutory minimum wage and a range of employment conditions are set by legislation including the 40-hour week and minimum holiday entitlement of 20 days a year.

Trade unions

The two largest confederations are the Association of Free Trade Unions of Slovenia (ZSSS) and the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KSJS), consisting of five formerly independent union federations, which was established in May 2006 represents more than half of all workers in the public sector. The five unions are the Education, Science and Culture Trade Union of Slovenia (SVIZ); the Trade Union of Health and Social Services of Slovenia (SZSVS); the Police Trade Union of Slovenia (PSS); the Nursing Workers’ Trade Union of Slovenia (SDZNS); and the Independent Trade Union of Workers at the University of Ljubljana (NSDLU).

The smaller confederations include the Confederation of New Trade Unions of Slovenia (KNSS) represents only private industry; the Confederation of Trade Unions of Slovenia PERGAM (PERGAM) organises across both sectors while the Confederation of Trade Unions ’90 of Slovenia (Konfederacija ’90) mainly organises in the private sector.