Slovenia

Labour Inspection Structure and Organization

Name of institution that manages work issues

The Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs is the competent authority over labour and employment issues.

Department(s) responsible for Labour Inspection

The Labour Inspectorate is an administrative body within the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs responsible for the enforcement of labour law. The employment inspectorate enforces working conditions, while the health and safety at work inspectorate enforces OSH standards.

Law that covers organization and functional composition

  • Labour Inspectorate Act (Ur.l.RS, no. 38/1994, 32/1997 and 39/2000)
  • Inspection Act (Ur.l.RS, no. 56/2002)
  • Employment Act (Ur.l. RS no. 42/2002)
  • Health and Safety at Work Act (Ur.l. RS no. 56/99, 64/01)
  • Safety and Health at Work Law, 2011

Scope of labour inspection

The Labour Inspectorate supervises the implementation of laws, other regulations, collective contracts and general acts that govern employment relations, wages, worker participation in management, strikes and worker safety. The Labour Inspectorate also provides employers and workers with assistance in connection with implementing laws and other regulations, collective contracts and general acts within its jurisdiction. In addition to their principal duties, the Employment Relationships Act assigns mediation duties to labour inspectors for the settlement of individual labour disputes.

Local divisions

Labour inspection offices are based in the capital, Ljubljana.

Programming and communication

The Inspection Council has been created as a permanent inter-ministerial working body to perform tasks with a view of obtaining a greater effectiveness and co-ordination of the operation of inspection services. It coordinates the joint implementation of inspection duties of different inspection services, and coordinates and plans measures to provide information support to inspection services.

The Labour Inspectorate submits an annual report to the Ministry of Labour, the Family and Social Affairs, providing general statistical data on the number of employers by activity in which inspection was carried out, the number of workers, the number of violations identified, measures ordered by activity, fatal injuries, collective accidents, serious injuries and professional illnesses.

Human Resources and career development

Permanency of inspectors

Labour inspectors are civil servants and are ensured protection against dismissal.

Selection process

Candidates need to pass an examination in order to be inspectors. The examination includes sections on inspection procedures; administrative and dispute procedures; conduct and decision-making in the application of sanctions.

Background required

Labour inspectors need to have a university degree in a legal, economic, medical or other relevant technical field and at least five years of work experience. Inspectors are also required to pass a professional qualification test every three years, in addition to a professional examination upon their appointment, for their contracts to be renewed.

The law foresees that inspectors be trained on a regular basis in order to properly perform their duties.

Visits and functions

Role of preventive measures

The law provides that with a view to taking preventive action, inspection services shall raise public awareness by appropriate means. The Ministry has launched direct campaigns covering issues such as chemical risks, electric safety, machine safety, heights, construction sites and other OSH issues.

Registries and reporting of accidents/diseases at work

The OSH Law requires employers to immediately report to the Labour Inspectorate any fatal injury or injuries leading to an absence of more than three consecutive days, or any collective accident, dangerous situation, or officially established occupational disease.

Sanction and administrative processes

In cases of labour law violations, the inspector has the right to order measures for remedying the irregularity or deficiency within a certain time limit, to carry out procedures, to lay a charge for a criminal offence (which is prosecuted ex officio), to propose to a competent body the adoption of measures, to order other measures authorised by law or other regulations.

If the health and/or safety of workers is in danger, an inspector may issue an order prohibiting the employer from carrying out an activity or from using certain equipment or processes of production until the irregularities are remedied.

Social dialogue and labour inspection

The law requires the inspectorate to cooperate with other inspection services, including agencies for employment, health, pensions and disability insurance. They must also cooperation with trade unions and employers associations as well as with research and education organisations and experts in the field of labour.

ILO Conventions ratified

Slovenia ratified both Conventions No. 81 and No. 129 in 1992.