Croatia: limits placed on use of fixed-term contracts and caregiver leave allowance created

On 29 September, the Croatian government sent a bill to its parliament containing a number of amendments to the country’s Labour Act (ZOR) in order to transpose into domestic legislation the EU directives on work-life balance for parents and carers (see article n°11231) and transparent and predictable working conditions (see article n°10999). These are part of the country’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (MPOO) and aim to prevent the “unjustified” racking up of fixed-term employment contracts. Under the draft law, fixed-term contracts may not be agreed for any longer than three years and individual workers are limited to three consecutive contracts. The regulation of home and remote working is bolstered by the bill, as is the regulation of work via digital platforms (e.g. Glovo, Bolt and Uber), in order to protect people using these new forms of work. Finally, the bill introduces an unpaid leave allowance of five days per year to care for a relative who has lost autonomy as well as the right to one day off work for urgent family reasons. Until now, Croatian employees could take a seven-day period of sick leave to look after an ill relative but did not have a specific leave allowance for care (see article n°13232).