The thesis discusses the criminal law protection of employees’ rights, which protects the most important labour rights, as defined by the legislator. The suitability of using criminal law norms and interference of the criminal repression to employment relationships, which are established pursuant to contractual relationship of mutual trust and personal connection, can be subjected to questionability, yet it is certainly useful, effective and necessary. Despite the established protection of labour rights many employees and seekers of employment are left without the associated rights or their rights are limited, disabled or violated; and this the reason behind violation of employees’ right being protected by criminal law in the Slovenian acquis. The criminal offences against employment relationship are defined by the Chapter 22 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Slovenia, including the criminal acts of Violation of Fundamental Rights of Employees, Victimization in the workplace, Violation of Rights Concerning Employment and Unemployment, Undeclared Employment, Infringement of the Rights to Participate in Governance and Violation of Trade Union Rights, and Endangering Safety at Work. The criminal law protection of employees’ rights has been gaining attention by the public authorities in the past years. In the capitalism-oriented economy of employers striving for higher profits the employees’ rights are often overlooked. However, the statistical data portrays improvement of the situation in the field of criminal law protection of employees’ rights. More and more criminal complaints and indictment proposals are filed against the violators, and the courts issue more and more decisions of conviction.
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