It is a leave during which the rights and obligations of the parties to the employment relationship are suspended. The employee does not perform work and the employer pays no remuneration. It is granted on the basis of a written request from the employee.

As a general rule, the period of unpaid leave is not counted as part of the periods of work on which employee rights are dependent. There are, however, unpaid leaves that count as periods of work, for example, unpaid leave granted with the consent of the employee, expressed in writing, to work for another employer for the period set out in the agreement between employers concluded regarding this matter.