Workers’ rights: Czechia
In the Czech Republic drivers are well protected: dismissal only for reasons listed in the Labour Code, 2 months' notice, and contractual penalties in employment are banned altogether. The Employee Card (zaměstnanecká karta) is tied to the job, but after losing it you have 60 days to find a new one.
- Contract: in writing, one copy for you
- Pay: at least 22,400 Kč, travel allowances separately
- Leave and sickness
- Dismissal: only for legal reasons, 2 months' notice, 60 days for a new job
- Damage: at most 4.5 months' pay, contractual penalties banned
- EU rules: they apply in this country too
- Where to turn
Warning signs
- Your passport or licence was taken ‘for safekeeping’.
- No written contract, or you are asked to sign something other than promised.
- Pay in cash without a payslip, or ‘minimum wage plus per diems’.
- You are asked for money for the job, the visa, a ‘deposit’, or a ‘debt’ is deducted from your pay.
- You are made to drive over the limits or on someone else’s tachograph card.
- You are threatened with deportation if you complain or quit.
None of these takes away your rights. Keep messages, photograph documents and contact the places below. A complaint does not cost you your residence permit.
Contract: in writing, one copy for you
Law: Zákoník práce § 34–37- The employment contract must be in writing and you must get a copy. Probation of no more than 4 months (since 2025). A fixed term of no more than 3 years and at most two extensions.
- Working conditions in writing within 7 days. The law does not require a translation, so ask for one before signing and compare the figures with what was promised in chat.
- DPP/DPČ agreements give fewer rights; permanent work as a driver belongs in an employment contract (pracovní smlouva).
Pay: at least 22,400 Kč, travel allowances separately
Law: Sdělení MPSV č. 356/2025 Sb., zákoník práce § 111–118, § 141–143- The minimum wage in 2026 is 22,400 Kč a month (134.40 Kč an hour), in 2027 24,900 Kč. Supplements: overtime +25%, nights and weekends +10%, public holidays +100% or time off.
- Travel allowances (stravné) for runs are owed by law on top of wages and are tax-free; the employer may not 'include' them in the salary.
- Wages are due by the end of the following month, with a payslip (výplatní páska). Hours worked must appear in the time records, which you are entitled to see.
Leave and sickness
Law: Zákoník práce § 211–223, § 192- Leave of at least 4 weeks a year (160 hours on a 40-hour week); many hauliers give 5.
- Sickness: the employer pays 60% of reduced average earnings for the first 14 days, from day 15 the ČSSZ pays sickness benefit (60–72%). The doctor sends the electronic sick note.
Dismissal: only for legal reasons, 2 months' notice, 60 days for a new job
Law: Zákoník práce § 50–54, § 67, § 72; zákon o pobytu cizinců § 42g- The employer may dismiss only for reasons listed in § 52 of the Labour Code (closure, redundancy, breaches) and always in writing. Notice is 2 months for both sides (since June 2025 it runs from delivery). On redundancy, severance of 1–3 months' pay. A dismissal can be challenged in court within 2 months.
- A termination agreement (dohoda) is voluntary. You do not have to sign it on the day you are 'offered to leave nicely'; take time and show it to a counsellor.
- Employee Card: after the contract ends you have 60 days to find a new employer and report the change to the Ministry of the Interior. Job loss must be reported within 3 working days. Changing employer is by notification 30 days in advance, with no new permit.
Damage: at most 4.5 months' pay, contractual penalties banned
Law: Zákoník práce § 250, § 257, § 346d, § 146–150- For unintentional damage an employee is liable for at most 4.5 times the average monthly wage; the employer must prove fault. Full liability only for intent or intoxication.
- Contractual penalties in employment are banned by law: a clause like '50,000 Kč penalty for leaving before a year' is void. Wage deductions only by law or by written agreement on a specific amount.
- Withholding a passport is a crime. The employer may make a copy; the original always stays with you.
EU rules: they apply in this country too
Driving and rest times: one rule for the whole EU
Law: Регламент (ЕС) 561/2006, Директива 2002/15/ЕС- After 4.5 hours of driving, a 45-minute break (15 + 30 allowed). No more than 9 hours a day, 10 twice a week. No more than 56 hours a week and 90 in two weeks.
- Daily rest of 11 hours (9 hours up to three times between weekly rests). Weekly rest of 45 hours; a reduced 24-hour rest must be compensated.
- The regular weekly rest may not be taken in the cab; the employer pays for accommodation. Every 4 weeks (or 3 after two consecutive reduced rests) the employer must organise your return home or to the operating base.
- The tachograph card is personal. Never lend it and never drive on someone else's card: fines and a driving ban hit you personally.
- Employers may not pay bonuses for distance or delivery speed that encourage violations (Art. 10 of Reg. 561/2006). A schedule that cannot be met without violations is the employer's violation.
- A driver's working time (driving + loading + ordered waiting) averages at most 48 hours a week, maximum 60. With night work, at most 10 hours per shift.
Pay of the country where you work: posting rules for drivers
Law: Директива (ЕС) 2020/1057 (Mobility Package), Директива 96/71/ЕС- For cabotage (domestic runs in another country) or transport between two countries neither of which is your company's country, you are entitled from day one to the pay rules of the country you drive in: its minimum wage, supplements, allowances.
- Bilateral runs (from the company's country and back) and transit are not covered.
- The employer must file a posting declaration in the IMI system and give you a copy. If you work permanently from another country and are employed 'at home' only for cheaper pay, that is a letterbox company and the law is on your side.
You do not pay for a job: not an agent, not an employer
Law: Конвенция МОТ № 181 (ст. 7), национальные законы о занятости- Charging a worker for job placement is prohibited or strictly limited in EU countries. A 'job fee', 'visa deposit' or 'runaway insurance' is a sign of fraud.
- No one may keep your passport or driving licence 'for safekeeping'. The passport always stays with you; a copy is enough for the employer.
- A 'debt' for tickets and paperwork deducted from your pay for months, and a ban on quitting until it is worked off, are signs of forced labour. That is a crime in every EU country; contact the hotline linked below.
You must receive your working conditions in writing
Law: Директива (ЕС) 2019/1152 о прозрачных условиях труда- Within 7 days of starting: place of work, job, pay and how it is paid, working time, probation, leave, notice periods. The rest within a month. If there is no document, demand it; it is your right.
- Probation of no more than 6 months. A second job may only be banned for objective reasons (e.g. safety and driving/rest rules).
- Training the employer must provide by law or contract (e.g. periodic Code 95 training) is free and counts as working time.
If you are from outside the EU: permit and changing employer
Law: Директива (ЕС) 2024/1233 о едином разрешении- The single permit gives the same rights as local workers: equal pay, working conditions, health and safety, social security, union membership.
- The recast (2024/1233, to be transposed by May 2026) allows changing employer by notifying the authority and keeping the permit for up to 3 months without a job (6 months if you have held it over two years). Countries implement this differently; check the country part below.
- A complaint to the labour inspectorate does not cost you your residence permit. An employer who threatens 'deportation' over a complaint is breaking the law.
Where to turn
Státní úřad inspekce práce (SÚIP)
Labour inspectorate: complaints about pay, contracts and working time, online or at regional offices, free. You may ask that your name be kept confidential.
Centra na podporu integrace cizinců
State integration centres in every region: free legal advice, including in Russian and Ukrainian.
La Strada ČR
Hotline against labour exploitation 800 07 77 77 (free), help in Russian, English and other languages.
Odborový svaz dopravy
Transport workers' union: legal help for members in disputes with employers.
Ministerstvo vnitra, infolinka pro cizince
Questions on the Employee Card and changing employer: +420 974 801 801, in Czech, English, Russian and Ukrainian.
Your Europe Advice
Free EU legal advice on your rights when working in another EU country, reply within a week, in all EU languages.
European Labour Authority (ELA)
Information on the rights of posted and mobile workers by country and contacts of national inspectorates.
Official sources
- Zákoník práce (zakonyprolidi.cz)
- MPSV: minimální mzda
- SÚIP
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EC) 561/2006
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2020/1057 (posting of drivers)
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2019/1152 (transparent working conditions)
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2024/1233 (single permit)
This is a general overview, not legal advice. Checked on 25/10/2026. Amounts and deadlines change: verify via the links to official sources.
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