Austerity measures have created a legal grey area.
Order employees to work and pay them a bonus, leave them at home, or tell them to take a day off? Companies will soon once again face a dilemma over how to interpret a situation arising from an amendment that changed the status of the upcoming Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on 15 September.
Although the date remains officially recognised as a public holiday, it will follow normal working schedules this year as a result of austerity measures introduced by the Robert Fico government in 2025.
The move also applied to Victory over Fascism Day on 8 May. At the time, two of the four car manufacturers operated as usual, while the other two kept their employees at home. Some banks closed their branches and gave employees paid leave. In some schools, pupils had a special day off, while in others it was a regular school day.
Speaking to the daily Denník N, lawyer Tomáš Záhradník said there is no consistent practice for dealing with the situation. Although the Labour Ministry issued guidance at the time on what to do – stating that it was a regular working day – it was not legally binding and therefore did not change the fact that the law remains unclear.
