On Wednesday evening, the National Council of the Slovak Republic finally adopted a new law proposed by the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Family (MPSVR) that introduces stricter regulations for digital platforms—such as Bolt, Wolt, Foodora, and Uber. The new legal framework fully implements the relevant European Union directive and will take effect on December 2, 2026.
The law will apply to absolutely all platforms providing services in Slovakia, regardless of the country in which their registered office is located.
Presumption of an Employment Relationship: The End of Fake Self-Employment?
One of the main innovations of the law is the introduction of the so-called presumption of an employment contract (právna domnienka pracovného pomeru).
If a courier or driver can prove that their work exhibits characteristics of dependent employment (for example, a fixed schedule, performance monitoring, or a lack of freedom to set prices), it will be presumed by default that they are employed. If the company disagrees with this, it is the platform—not the worker—that will have to prove otherwise in court. This is aimed at combating so-called “fictitious self-employment” (fiktívna živnosť), where actual employees are forced to register as sole proprietors.
Regulation of Algorithms and a Ban on “Robot Judges”
The law significantly limits the “omnipotence” of algorithms that govern order distribution and income:
System transparency: Companies will be required to clearly explain to workers how algorithms collect data and on what basis they allocate orders or calculate bonuses.
Human oversight in account suspensions: Key decisions (such as account deactivation, rating downgrades, or fines) can no longer be made solely by a robot or algorithm. A live person must evaluate the worker’s actions.
Personal Data Protection and New Rights
Platforms are officially prohibited from collecting private information about workers:
Collecting data on psychological well-being, private correspondence, or political views is prohibited.
It is prohibited to track the geolocation or activity of couriers and drivers outside of working hours.
App workers have been granted the official right to form or join unions, even if they do not work under a traditional employment contract, as well as protection from disciplinary action for defending their rights.
Public registry, inspections, and fines of up to €50,000
To increase market transparency, an official public registry of platforms will be created. Companies will be required to report regularly to the National Labor Inspectorate (NIP) on the number of people involved, their earnings, and hours worked.
To detect illegal labor and fictitious entrepreneurship, the Labor Inspectorate and tax authorities will exchange data on contractors’ earnings and status. Compliance with the new regulations will be monitored by the NIP and the Slovak Office for Personal Data Protection. Platforms face fines of up to 50,000 euros for violating the law.
