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Working conditions of women, adolescent employees and employees caring for a child younger than 3 years of age

Pregnant women, mothers until the end of the ninth month of confinement and the breastfeeding women must not be employed in works that are physically inappropriate for them or harm their organism, mainly works which jeopardise their maternity role.

A pregnant woman, mother until the end of the ninth month of confinement and breastfeeding woman may not be employed even in such works that according to medical opinion jeopardise her pregnancy due to health causes pertinent to her person. If a pregnant woman (eventually mother until the end of the ninth month of confinement and a breastfeeding woman) performs work that is prohibited to pregnant women, or which according to medical opinion threatens her pregnancy, the employer shall be obliged to implement a temporary change to working conditions. If a change to working conditions for the woman is not possible, the employer shall temporarily transfer the woman to work that is suitable to her and in which she may attain the same earnings as that for the hitherto work within the scope of the employment contract, and where such is not possible, he/she shall transfer her upon agreement to a different type of work. If transfer of a pregnant woman to a position with day work or transfer to other suitable work is not possible, the employer shall be obliged to provide a pregnant employee with time off and wage compensation.

If a pregnant woman, men and women continuously caring for a child younger than 15 years of age requests a reduction in working time or other arrangement to the fixed weekly working time, the employer shall be obliged to accommodate their request if such is not prevented by substantive operational reasons.

A pregnant woman, a woman or man continuously caring for a child younger than three years old, a lone man or woman continuously caring for a child younger than fifteen years old may be employed for overtime work only with their agreement. Work stand-by may only be agreed upon with.

An employer shall be obliged to provide a mother who breast-feeds her child, in addition to breaks in work, special breaks for breast-feeding. Breaks for breast-feeding shall be calculated to working time and shall be provided with wage compensation in the amount of her average earnings.

Working conditions for adolescent employees

An employer may only employ adolescent employees for such works that are appropriate to their physical and mental development, which do not jeopardise their morality and shall provide them with increased care at work. Limitations at employment of adolescent employees:

– An employer may not employ adolescent employees for overtime work or night work, and work stand-by may not be ordered on them or agreed upon with them.

– An employer may not use such a method of remuneration for work that would lead, through increases in work performance, to endangering the safety and health of adolescent employees.

– An adolescent employee may not be employed for work underground in the extraction of minerals or drilling of tunnels and passages.

– An adolescent employee may not be employed for work which, taking into account the anatomic, physiological and mental individualities at this age, is inappropriate, or dangerous for him/her or damaging to his/her health.

– An employer may employ adolescent employees neither for work at which they are exposed to an increased risk of accident nor the performance of which could seriously endanger the safety and health of co-employees or other persons.

– An employee shall be obliged to secure that adolescent employees are assessed on the suitability of their health condition for work based on the results of a medical preventative examination before an adolescent employee is transferred to other work, or regularly, as required, at least once per year,

– Information on the notice given to adolescent employee and immediate notice of an adolescent employee from an employment relationship from the side of the employer must also be submitted to his/her legal representatives.

– If the employment relationship is terminated by notice from an adolescent employee, by immediate termination of the employment relationship, in the probation period or if the working relationship is to be terminated by agreement, the employer shall be obliged to request the opinion of the legal representative.