With the start of the new year, the widely discussed and received with controversial responses Pension Reform also begins. It foresees an increase in the pension age and the necessary years of service. The length of service and pension age was pushed up for women and men by 4 months and it will continue to rise every subsequent year with 4 months. Thus in the year 2020 to retire, women will have to have reached the age of 63 and have completed 37 years of service. The retirement age for men rises to 65, while the required length of service becomes 40 years. The minimal length of service for retirement for army, police and national security servants also rises – 27 years of service.
Another major policy amendment concerning the labour and social security rights of citizens is the increase of the years of service used as a basis for calculation of the compensation for unemployment, maternity leave and illness. Whereas until now the compensation for unemployment and maternity used to be calculated on the basis of the wages received for the last 18 months of employment, with the new amendment the compensation is calculated according to the last 24 months of service. Accordingly, this will seriously affect the sum of the received compensation. The consequences of such an “anti-social” legislative measure are difficult to explain in a time of negative population growth and a seriously aging population. The basis for calculation of the compensations for illness or for vocational rehabilitation of individuals with temporarily decreased work capacity transferred to other jobs for health reasons also rises from 12 to 18 months. There is no change in the size of the social security contributions; however, given the increase of the social security threshold for more than half of all economic activities, both employees and employers will have to pay higher contributions.
Following the amendments to the Electronic Communications Act, mobile operatorsand,in general,companies providing public electronic communication networks and/or services for end consumers will no longer be able to renew contracts with their clients automatically. Term contracts will only be prolonged with the client’s express written consent to the terms and conditions of the extended contract. If no such consent is given upon expiry of the contract, the latter automatically becomes a term-less contract on the previous conditions. The subscriber has the right to terminate that term-less contract with a one-month’s advance notice, without owing any contractual penalties. In addition, the subscriber may also, within 7 days of the conclusion of the contract to unilaterally terminate it, without owing any contractual penalties.
The beginning of 2012 will see the start of the specialized criminal court and prosecutor’s office, established for trial of serious crime committed by organized criminal groups and posing societal threat. The advantages of the creation of such institutions were widely debated, but surely remained ambiguous, which is why the expectations concerning the specialized criminal court are so controversial.
Reminder: Have in mind that commercial companies and co-operations, for which no re-registration has been made in time by 31.12.2011 will suffer involuntary discontinuance of their activity starting the 1stof January 2012. Commercial companies and co-operations which are not re-registered do not have the right to carry out commercial activity, bring action, appeal for executory proceedings or conclude deals related to the company’s property,; they will only have the right to make payments of due sums to employees and to also make transfer of amounts so as to cover public obligations of the company. Deals carried out after the 31stof December 2011 with commercial companies and co-operations which have had their activity involuntary discontinued are regarded as invalid.