Compensation for work accidents and occupational diseases to increase from September
The high inflation of recent months has affected the compensation provided to employees for accidents at work and occupational diseases. From September, such compensation is to be further valorised, primarily for the benefit of employees.
Compensation for loss of earnings following an inability to work caused by an accident at work or an occupational disease is due in the amount of the difference between the average earnings before the accident and the earnings after the accident plus any disability pension. As a result of the recent increase in pensions by Government Decree No. 136/2022 Coll., on the third increase in pensions, compensation provided to employees decreased. The government therefore agreed to also increase the amount of average earnings used to calculate compensation for accidents at work and occupational diseases: from 1 September 2022, the average earnings of an employee from which compensation is to be calculated shall increase by 5.2%. The same adjustment was made for the service pay of soldiers and police officers.
In the same way, average earnings for the purposes of calculating compensation for the maintenance costs of survivors also increased from September. Such compensation is due to the survivors of an employee who died as a result of an accident at work or an occupational disease and amounts to 50% of the employee’s average earnings before their death if they provided maintenance to one person, and 80% of such average earnings if they provided maintenance to several persons.