The Government of the Republic of Serbia at its session held on April 2, 2020, recommended to all employers that employees who are in self-isolation or suffering from COVID-19, because of their direct exposure to the risk due to the performing of their work, should be entitled to a compensation of the salary in the amount of 100 % (hereinafter referred to as: the Recommendation).
Specifically, this means that the Recommendation states that under the Labor Law and the Law on health insurance, temporary incapacity for work due to self-isolation or illness from COVID-19 should be interpreted as professional illnesses, where the employee is entitled to 100% of the average salary in the previous 12 months before the month in which temporary incapacity for work occurred, on condition that it may not be lower than the minimum salary established in accordance with the Labor Law. If a person is in self- isolation or is ill with COVID-19 for reasons that cannot be linked to the risk of doing their work, such as a tourist stay in COVID-19 hotspots, their temporary incapacity for work should be interpreted as a incapacity for work which is caused by illness outside of work, where an employee is entitled to 65% of the average salary.
For the first 30 days of absence from work, employers should pay the amount of the compensation of salary to the employee from their funds, and if the employee has been on paid leave for more than 30 days, employers may, starting from the 31st day of work leave, provide the amount of compensation for salary from statutory health insurance funds only for the amount of compensation which is prescribed by the law, and from their own funds to provide a difference up to 100 percent of the basis for compensation, which means 35%.
In this way, the Government of the Republic of Serbia has endorsed the proposal of the Union of Employees in Health and Social Welfare of Serbia, because employees in health and social care are currently the group which is most at risk for obtaining COVID-19.
The Government’s recommendation will be binding for employees working in public sector, therefore in health and social care institutions. For employers in private sector, this Recommendation is not binding, so employers will be free to decide whether to implement it. Employers whose employees, when performing their work, have direct contact with more people and who continue to do the work in the premises of the employer, should especially consider whether the implementation of the RS Government Recommendation is justified in their case.
Additionally, on the website of the Ministry of Health – www.zdravlje.gov.rs/tekst/346871/covid-19.php – all citizens can independently fill out a request for an isolation certificate. These are two request forms that can be submitted to the address potvrda.covid19@zdravlje.gov.rs.
1. Request for issuance of an isolation certificate for a passenger in International traffic to whom is determined as an urgent measure putting in health care on acute respiratory disease caused by the new 14/28-Day Corona Virus SARS-CoV-2 (Home Isolation)
2. Request for issuance of an isolation certificate for a contact person in the Republic of Serbia to whom is determined as an urgent measure putting on health care on acute respiratory disease caused by the new 14/28-Day Corona Virus SARS-CoV-2 (Home Insulation)
In this way, the mentioned certificate issued by the Ministry of Health, in addition to the decision of the competent sanitary inspection, will serve the employees as a certificate of temporary incapacity for work, which they will submit to the employers in order to regulate the right to compensation of salary during the temporary incapacity for work.
If you have any questions or need additional information regarding the rights and obligations of employers and employees during a state of emergency, you can contact Ana Popovic, Partner in the employment department at the Zivkovic Samardzic office at email ana.popovic@zslaw.rs or Teodora Budanovic, a trainee attorney at law in the employment department at teodora.budanovic@zslaw.rs, as well as the regular contact office@zslaw.rs.
Preporuka Vlade o naknadi zarade zaposlenima koji se neposredno izlažu riziku od COVID-19
Vlada Republike Srbije je na sednici održanoj 2. aprila 2020. godine, dala preporuku svim poslodavcima da zaposlenima koji se nalaze u samoizolaciji ili su oboleli od COVID-19, zbog neposrednog izlaganja riziku zbog obavljanja svog posla, obezbede pravo na novčanu naknadu zarade u visini od 100 % (u daljem tekstu: Preporuka).
Konkretno, to znači da Preporuka upućuje da se prema Zakonu o radu i Zakonu o zdravstvenom osiguranju, privremena sprečenost zbog samoizolacije ili oboljevanja od COVID-19, treba tumačiti kao profesionalna bolest, gde zaposlenom pripada 100% prosečne zarade u prethodnih 12 meseci pre meseca u kojem je nastupila privremena sprečenost za rad, s tim da ne može biti niža od minimalne zarade utvrđene u skladu Zakonom o radu. Ukoliko je lice u samoizolaciji ili je obolelo od COVID-19 iz razloga koji se ne mogu povezati sa izlaganjem riziku zbog obavljanja svog posla, kao što je na primer turistički boravak u zemljama žarištima COVID-19, njihovu privremenu sprečenost bi trebalo tumačiti kao sprečenost za rad koja je prouzrokovana bolešću van rada, gde zaposlenom pripada 65 % prosečne zarade.
Na ovaj način Vlada Republike Srbije je podržala predlog Sindikata zaposlenih u zdravstvu i socijalnoj zaštiti Srbije, jer su zaposleni u zdravstvu i socijalnoj zaštiti trenutno najugroženija i najrizičnija grupa od oboljevanja od COVID -19.
Za prvih 30 dana odsustva sa rada visinu naknade zarade poslodavci treba da isplate iz svojih sredstava, a ukoliko je zaposleni na plaćenom odsustvu više od 30 dana, poslodavci mogu da, počev od 31. dana odsustva sa rada, visinu naknade zarade isplate tako što će iz sredstava obaveznog zdravstvenog osiguranja obezbediti zakonom propisani iznos naknade zarade, a iz svojih sredstava obezbediti razliku do visine od 100 odsto osnova za naknadu zarade, što znači 35%.
Preporuka Vlade će biti obavezujućeg karaktera za zaposlene u javnom sektoru, prema tome i u zdravstvenim ustanovama i ustanovama socijalne zaštite. Za poslodavce u privatnom sektoru, ova Preporuka nema obavezujući karakter, te će poslodavci samostalno odlučivati da li će je primenjivati. Poslodavci čiji zaposleni prilikom obavljanja svog posla imaju neposredni kontakt sa više ljudi i koji rad i dalje obavljaju u prostorijama poslodavca, posebno treba da razmisle da li je u konkretnom slučaju opravdana primena Preporuke Vlade RS.
Dodatno, na sajtu Ministarstva zdravlja – www.zdravlje.gov.rs/tekst/346871/covid-19.php – svi građani mogu samostalno popuniti zahtev za izdavanje potvrde o izolaciji. U pitanju su dva obrasca zahteva koji se podnose na adresu potvrda.covid19@zdravlje.gov.rs.
1. Zahtev za izdavanje potvrde o izolaciji za putnika u međunarodnom saobraćaju kome je određena hitna mera stavljanja pod zdravstveni nadzor na akutno respiratorno oboljenje izazvano novim Korona virusom SARS-CoV-2 u trajanju od 14 / 28 dana (izolacija u kućnim uslovima)
2. Zahtev za izdavanje potvrde o izolaciji za lice iz kontakta u Republici Srbiji kome je određena hitna mera stavljanja pod zdravstveni nadzor na akutno respiratorno oboljenje izazvano novim Korona virusom SARS-CoV-2 u trajanju od 14 / 28 dana (izolacija u kućnim uslovima)
Na ovaj način, navedena potvrda koju izdaje Ministarstvo zdravlja, pored rešenja nadležne sanitarne inspekcije, služiće zaposlenima kao potvrda o privremenoj sprečenosti za rad koju će dostavljati Poslodavcima radi regulisanja prava na naknadu zarade za vreme privremene sprečenosti za rad.
Ukoliko imate bilo kakvih pitanja ili su Vam potrebne dodatne informacije u vezi sa pravima i obavezama poslodavaca i zaposlenih za vreme vanrednog stanja, možete se obratiti Ani Popović, Partneru u radnom odeljenju u kancelariji Živković Samardžić na email ana.popovic@zslaw.rs ili Teodori Budanović, advokatskom pripravniku u radnom odeljenju na email teodora.budanovic@zslaw.rs, kao i na adresu za redovan kontakt office@zslaw.rs.