Slovenia
Key Facts
| Population | 2,047,000 |
|---|---|
| Collective Bargaining Coverage | 96% |
| Proportion of Employees in Unions | 30% |
| Principal Level of Collective Bargaining |
industry |
| Workplace Representation |
union and works council |
| Board-level Representation |
yes: state-owned and private companies |
| Company Board Structure |
monistic or dualistic (choice) |
Trade Union
The proportion of employees in trade unions is relatively high in Slovenia, at between 30% and 40%. The union structure is fragmented, with seven separate union confederations, although one of them, ZSSS, is clearly dominant.
more ...Collective Bargaining
Almost all employees have been covered by collective bargaining in Slovenia – a result of the past position where the employers’ side included chambers of commerce and industry, to which all employers had to belong. However, new legislation has ended this arrangement and coverage may fall. Negotiations take place at industry and company level, and at national level in the public sector.
more ...Workplace Representation
Workplace level representation in Slovenia is provided by both the union in the workplace and the works council. Both have information and consultation rights, although the works council’s are more extensive, while only the union can undertake collective bargaining.
more ...Board-level Representation
Employee representatives have between a third and a half of the seats on the supervisory board of Slovenian companies. Until 2006, most larger and medium-sized had to have such a supervisory board, but new legislation allows for a one-tier board structure, where employees’ representation is reduced to a maximum of a third of the seats on the board.
more ...European-level Representation
Slovenian representatives on bodies relating to European Works Councils and the European Company are generally elected by a meeting of all employees. The exception is board level representation in the European company, where they are chosen by the SE representative body, in line with national practice for the choice of employee board level representation in Slovenian companies.
more ...Health and Safety
In the private sector, a works council is established in undertakings with more than 20 employees.
In those with fewer than 20 employees, safety reps are appointed, as they also are in the public sector.
more ...Financial Participation
Slovenia has a long tradition of employee involvement which started with employee self-management in the 1950’s. This tradition of employee participation, including both financial and decision-making participation, was continued during the transition period from the 1990’s onwards and led to a relatively high incidence of employee share ownership in Slovenia, compared to other EU-27 countries, though it has been on the decline since the end of privatization. The incidence of profit-sharing schemes is in line with the European average.1 The figure on cooperatives is insignificant and decreasing, and there are nearly no workers’ cooperatives left today. However, the number of self-employed persons is considerable due to a beneficial tax system.2
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