Amendments to the Czech Labour Code

At a glance

• Amendments to the Labour Code introduced a number of changes.
• A key change which has taken effect from 1 January 2024 is the right to annual leave for contract workers.

Amendments to the Labour Code introduced a number of changes which came into force on 1 January 2024. Notably, changes were implemented for contract workers, specifically employees engaged through agreements for work performed outside the traditional employment relationship.

Under Czech labour law, in addition to an employment contract, individuals can enter into agreements for work performed outside the employment relationship, such as a DPČ (agreement to perform work) or DPP (agreement to complete a job). Not all of the regular rules which are applicable in regular employment relationships will apply to these agreements to work.

As of 1 January 2024, employees who have an agreement to perform work (DPČ) or an agreement to perform a job (DPP) will be entitled to holiday pay. The right to annual leave will be automatically granted by law to employees working under agreements for work performed outside the employment relationship, subject to the same conditions as those with conventional employment relationships.

The accrual of leave for a given calendar year is subject to two conditions:

• the employee's employment relationship based on the agreement has continued continuously with the same employer for at least four weeks, ie 28 calendar days, during the calendar year;
• the employee in that employment relationship has worked at least four times the weekly working time, ie 80 hours (including compensatory time) for the purposes of the leave in the calendar year.