Slovak PM works overnight factory shift on labour day

Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico marked May Day by working an overnight shift alongside employees at ZKW Slovakia in Krušovce, where he backed higher night-shift pay and called for talks with employers over Slovakia’s heavy reliance on overnight labour.

Speaking after completing the Tuesday-to-Wednesday shift at the plant, which manufactures lighting systems and electronics and employs around 3,000 people, Fico praised workers’ efforts and said employees deserved additional compensation for night work, Caliber.Az reports via Slovak media.

“Hats off to all employees,” Fico said after working on headlamp components alongside factory staff. Before starting the shift, he also met the company’s management team.

Fico said the Slovak government intends to continue raising the minimum wage, which it aims to lift to €1,000 by 2026-2027. Since night-shift bonuses are tied to the minimum wage, the allowances would rise alongside it unless the system is revised.

“If they remain linked to the minimum wage, they will increase with it,” Fico said, adding that another option would be to separate the allowances from the minimum wage and negotiate a different mechanism with employers.

“For now, the night-work bonus rises with the minimum wage, and I think people deserve it. After the shift, my whole body hurts,” he added.

According to Fico, Slovakia has one of the highest shares of night work in the European Union. While some industries cannot halt operations, he said there are sectors where employers could reconsider the need for overnight shifts.

“We do not want measures that would damage the Slovak economy,” Fico said. “There must be a balance between the interests of employees, whom I very much want to represent, and employers, whom I respect because they create jobs and drive Slovakia’s economic growth.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev