Dozens of employees of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic stopped work on Friday and went on strike. As the press agency TASR informs, it is an escalation of the dispute between trade unions and the management of the office, which decided to move several agendas from the Government Office to individual ministries. Employees warn that such a move could break the existing system and weaken the independence of their work. The Chairman of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (ČMKOS) Josef Středula pointed out that this is an unprecedented situation – according to him, this is the first strike by Government Office employees in the modern history of the Czech Republic. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš described the protest as disappointing.
- Almost sixty employees of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic went on strike.
- Employees are protesting against the transfer of supra-departmental agendas to departmental ministries.
- Unions warn against the breakdown of supra-departmental policies and the escape of professional workers.
- Monika Šimůnková described the changes as the most dramatic intervention in the human rights agenda.
- Prime Minister Andrej Babiš considers the strike unnecessary and fears unfounded.
According to TASR, the strike concerns almost 60 workers who have long been dedicated to the agenda of protecting human rights, mental health and the issue of addictions. These are experts specialized in supra-departmental topics. The Straka trade union points out that the transfer of their activities to departmental ministries is not just a technical reorganization, but a de facto breakdown of supra-departmental policies. According to the trade unions, there may be a weakening of the professional background, the departure of experts and, ultimately, a deterioration in the functioning of the civil service.
Concerns about independence
Former government commissioner for human rights Monika Šimůnková described the planned changes as the most dramatic intervention in the human rights agenda in the last three decades. She pointed out that after the transfer to the ministries, the workers would no longer be able to carry out their activities with the same degree of independence from political structures as they had until now at the Government Office.
The chairman of ČMKOS Josef Středula also came to support the employees, who sharply criticized the procedure of the office’s management. He reminded that the Office of the Government should be a model for the legal and correct functioning of the state, and asked the speaker whether this procedure is not signaling to the public that it is okay to act contrary to the regulations. In particular, he criticized the fact that, according to the statements of trade unionists, the management of the office did not properly communicate with the employees about the planned changes.
Disputed reorganization
The head of the Government Office, Tünde Bartha, met with the protesting experts on Thursday. However, according to their assessment, the negotiations did not bring about a shift – Bartha only confirmed that she plans to implement the shift of the agenda. Since the reorganization, he promises higher work efficiency and considers the employees’ reservations unfounded.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš called the strike unnecessary. He stated that he was sorry for the situation and that he was disappointed by the attitude of the employees. He reminded that he has been supporting addiction services for a long time, and according to him, moving the agenda to the Ministry of Health will not change anything negatively. On the contrary, according to the prime minister, this step should strengthen individual topics. Babiš responded to the protest from the summit in Montenegro, where he emphasized that he does not consider the concerns of the workers to be justified.
