This report presents the preferences and opinions of Slovenians regarding aspects of working conditions in 1997 and 2005. The results are based on the Slovene Public Opinion Survey as part of the Work Orientations module of the International Social Survey Programme. The survey reveals that what people deem important in their work has remained relatively stable over time: job security, having an interesting job and a high income were the most important work values in both 1997 and 2005.

Slovenia has a number of different documents and recommendations on how to increase the economic growth and employment at the national level, including measures for sustainable development, but practical realization is less evident. Social partners presented solutions to overcome the economic crisis in their position papers, while social dialogue at the national level is missing. The government of the Republic of Slovenia has a key role in the preparation and implementation of measures and is less prepared for joint strategies with trade union confederations and employer associations. This mapping and inventory exercise will help to take stock of what the different Member States and social partners are doing to mitigate the effects of climatechange and harness the potential of the green economy. It will also help to identify particularly interesting and successful initiatives which canbe shared and disseminated as positive practice examples.

In May 2008, the social partners in the private sector finally signed the intersectoral Collective Agreement on Extraordinary Pay Adjustment for 2007 and on the Pay Adjustment Method, the Refund of Work-related Expenses and the Annual Leave Bonus for 2008 and 2009. In the public sector, in July 2007 and after five years of negotiations, the government and the public sector trade unions reached an agreement on the overall intersectoral collective agreement for the public sector. Trade unions in education, science and judiciary are still negotiating with the government about the provisions of the sectoral collective agreements. Social partners agree that changes to the legislation on minimum wage are necessary.

Slovenia has well developed system of industrial relations, where most of labour related issues are already regulated by Employment Relationships Act. Collective bargaining coverage is approximately 96%. Sector collective agreements regulate sector specific working conditions, while company collective agreements should regulate employment relationships and working conditions in a better way. Multinational companies in Slovenia have no major influence on the outcomes of collective bargaining at sectoral level, while in company collective agreements they try to introduce more specific regulationof working conditions and employment relations that are not always in the benefit of employees.It is important to point out, that multinational companies in Slovenia, according to the definition on MNCs in the EU's directive on European Works Councils, are present within manufacturing only in the metalworking sector and within private services in the banking and retail commerce sector. There exist no foreign-owned or home-owned MNCs in the food processing sector.