Unfair Dismissal & Employment Disputes in Croatia

Unfair dismissal in Croatia, nezakonit otkaz, is a dismissal that breaks the Labour Act, for example one without a valid reason, the required procedure or a written explanation. English-speaking employment lawyers help employees challenge a dismissal or claim unpaid pay and severance, and help employers end employment lawfully.
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5.00 ★

About Unfair Dismissal & Employment Disputes in Croatia

Unfair dismissal and employment disputes in Croatia — searched for as unfair or wrongful dismissal, an employment or labour lawyer, a labour dispute or severance pay — concern the end of a job and the claims around it. In Croatian a dismissal is otkaz ugovora o radu (termination of the employment contract), an unlawful one is a nezakonit otkaz, and the case is a radni spor (labour dispute) under the Zakon o radu, the Labour Act. Some older lists and lawyer pages call this service “Employment Law: Dismissals & Disputes”.

Who comes to an employment lawyer

Foreign employees in hotels, restaurants, construction, IT and shipping who have been dismissed or pressed to sign a sporazumni raskid (termination by agreement); workers owed wages or overtime; and employers, including foreign-owned companies, that need to part with someone without a lawsuit afterwards.

How a dismissal is challenged in Croatia

  1. Reading the dismissal. An ordinary dismissal is given in writing with reasons: business-related (poslovno uvjetovani, such as redundancy, known as tehnološki višak), personal (osobno uvjetovani) or the worker's misconduct. A summary dismissal (izvanredni otkaz) is reserved for serious breaches.
  2. Sending the employer a zahtjev za zaštitu prava, a written request to protect the right, for example to withdraw the dismissal. As a rule it comes before any lawsuit, and the deadlines for it and for the lawsuit that follows are short.
  3. If the employer refuses or does not answer, a lawsuit before the municipal court; mediation (mirenje) is possible along the way.
  4. If the court finds the dismissal unlawful, a return to work or, where continuing the employment is no longer reasonable, compensation instead.

What to look at

  • A redundancy has to respect selection criteria, consider any other job the employer could offer, and involve the works council (radničko vijeće) where there is one.
  • Severance (otpremnina) and the notice period (otkazni rok) depend on the type of dismissal and the length of service; a dismissal for misconduct changes the picture.
  • Croatian law has no separate claim for constructive dismissal; a worker whose employer seriously breaches the contract, for example by not paying wages, may leave with a summary dismissal and claim compensation.
  • For workers from outside the EU, losing the job can affect the residence and work permit; these rules have changed more than once, and a lawyer confirms the current ones.

The lawyer's part

The lawyer reads the contract and the dismissal, drafts the request to the employer, calculates the claims, negotiates a settlement and represents the client in court, recovers unpaid amounts through debt collection and reviews a termination agreement before it is signed, see contract review and advice. More on the area: employment law in Croatia.

Questions and answers

Can I be dismissed while on sick leave?

Sick leave does not in itself rule out a dismissal, but it affects the notice period and some reasons are not allowed; each case is checked against the Labour Act.

Is severance paid in Croatia?

A worker dismissed for a reason other than misconduct, after a minimum period of service, is usually entitled to severance; the amount depends on the years worked and on better terms in the contract or a collective agreement.

Is signing a termination agreement a good idea?

Signing ends the right to challenge the dismissal and can affect unemployment benefit from the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ), so it is worth having it read first.

Can the case be handled in English?

Court proceedings run in Croatian; an English-speaking lawyer explains every step, and documents can be translated.

2 lawyers who provide Unfair Dismissal & Employment Disputes in Croatia

Sorted by experience in this service. Write to any of them — the reply comes from the lawyer, without obligation.

  • Maja, lawyer in Blato Korčula

    Maja

    Lawyer · Blato Korčula, Croatia

    • 233 cases handled · 2 in this service
    • 5+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English
    • Law, University of Split
    • 5.00(8 reviews)
    Contact Maja
  • Luka, lawyer in Zagreb

    Luka

    Lawyer · Zagreb, Croatia

    • 44 cases handled
    • 15+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English
    • Law, University of Split
    • 5.00(2 reviews)
    Contact Luka
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Talk to a lawyer about Unfair Dismissal & Employment Disputes

2 registered lawyers provide this service in Croatia. Describe your situation in a short chat — what happened, where, and how to reach you. Your enquiry is reviewed and passed to a lawyer who handles exactly this kind of case, with no obligation.

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Enquiries are answered by lawyers of AdvocateAbroad. This site provides legal information, not legal advice.

What our clients say about our service in Croatia

  • It was a good experience. The lawyer was very responsive and helpful in ending a contract relationship. We communicated by email and phone, all in English, and he answered all our questions very quickly. He reviewed our contracts and advised us on the impact and on possible improvements. All in all it was very positive, and we can certainly recommend his service.
    — Nicola
    27 Oct 2025
    Unfair Dismissal & Employment Disputes
  • I was facing an involuntary departure from a job of 23 years, and the lawyer's calm, steady guidance was invaluable. She explained the workings of the law, my entitlements and the steps I could expect, then helped me with each of them over several months. She was readily available in person or by phone, and was clear and tactful both with me and when we wrote jointly to my ex-employer. She played a crucial part in reviewing and editing the agreement in its English and Spanish versions, and the company accepted everything she insisted upon. Her unbending professionalism, clarity and patience with my questions were just what was needed to bring an unexpected and difficult situation to a satisfying conclusion. I could not be happier to have found her.
    — Frank
    05 Mar 2025
    Unfair Dismissal & Employment Disputes
  • When my family needed an English-speaking lawyer in Spain, he was a godsend. He took charge straight away, and his professionalism, together with his command of Spanish law, got me through a complicated situation. He is the person to go to if you must work your way through the hard-to-reach rights and obligations of the Spanish legal code. He is also compassionate and understanding, and he was always available and ready to help. I recommend him without any hesitation to anyone who needs effective legal representation.
    — Annette
    13 Sep 2024
    Unfair Dismissal & Employment Disputes
  • The team contacted me promptly and put me in touch with a fitting lawyer straight away, which I really appreciate as my issue was pressing. The lawyer was very helpful too: a preliminary opinion arrived before the call we had agreed on, and more detail followed during the call. I will be sure to get in touch again whenever a lawyer is needed.
    — Paulo
    15 Mar 2024
    Unfair Dismissal & Employment Disputes
  • The lawyer replied very quickly, gave an excellent analysis of the legal matter and proposed changes to the contract clauses that truly reflected my interests. Everything was explained clearly and simply, and I was very satisfied with the outcome.
    — Dr.
    20 Mar 2023
  • If you too are looking for English-speaking lawyers who are good, I doubt you will find a team as professional and diligent. Both lawyers were calm and informative, reassured me and made me feel confident about my employment case. In court they appeared much more professional than the lawyer on the other side, and the result for us was favourable. For anyone who does not speak Spanish and wants good advice, these are the lawyers to turn to. I highly recommend them, lovely people!
    — Sammi
    03 Mar 2023
    Unfair Dismissal & Employment Disputes
  • Fast reply, and a polite lawyer who explained things well and knows the facts. I got just the information I needed, and his English was perfect.
    — Elin
    17 Aug 2022
  • The lawyer was helpful and caring from the very start. My case was with the British Consulate in Malaga and she did not flinch, even though dealing with a government organisation is so difficult, if not impossible. She also supported me emotionally because of the way I was being treated, and I was not in a state to make any decision for myself. She gave me the confidence to face the challenge ahead, explained everything in perfect English, and we finished the case with the compensation and the result that I wanted. The help I received was excellent. I would not hesitate to recommend her service to anyone, and I am truly grateful for her help and support.
    — Jean
    31 Jul 2022
  • Very helpful advice, with a clear explanation of the right course of action.
    — Stephen
    27 Jun 2022
  • I valued how well she explained things and the suitable solutions she offered.
    — Sayuri
    08 Oct 2021
  • I highly recommend this lawyer: great and easy to work with, highly efficient and helpful, and her English is perfect. I will certainly use her again if I ever need to.
    — Kate
    21 Jun 2021
    Unfair Dismissal & Employment Disputes, Cyprus
  • The lawyer is excellent. She was attentive and made sure I got the best possible outcome, and I am very satisfied with it.
    — Mark
    27 Jan 2021