The industrial association Klub 500, which clusters owners of companies in Slovakia with over five hundred employees, said that 2007 was a success story in terms of economic development. "Unfortunately, we have to say that we have not registered any adopted systemic measure that would have had a significant positive influence on the business environment in Slovakia," said the businessmen. However, they find it positive that the government reevaluated some legislative proposals based on comments from the business community. Chairman of Klub 500 Vladimir Sotak said that the club is also positive about the government's enthusiasm about the adoption of the single European currency. However, in order not to lose attractiveness in investors` eyes and sustain high economic growth, Slovakia will have to adopt systemic measures aimed at permanent improvement of the business environment.
Klub 500 negatively evaluates the part of the law on collective bargaining expanding legal applicability of a higher-level collective agreement even to those employers who did not sign it and do not agree with it. As far as the Labor Code is concerned, Klub 500 perceives negatively in particular the fact that it boosted the status of trade unions and restricted individuals' right to freely set their number of work hours. Mr. Sotak also warned that enormous growth of energy prices for corporate clients in 2007 and in proposals for 2008 are having a liquidating effect on employers.
StoryEditor