Czech industrial sector trade unions have rejected a proposal to limit early retirement for workers in demanding professions, and are threatening protests, representatives of the Industrial Alliance of Trade Unions told reporters yesterday.
Healthcare workers unions are also against the proposal. The unions want to negotiate with the heads of the parties in parliament to ensure that their MPs do not support this amendment when it is voted on, said KOVO trade union head Roman Durco and Health and Social Care Trade Union chairwoman Dagmar Zitnikova.
Zitnikova also told reporters that health and social care unions wanted to renegotiate with ministers on pay rises for nurses, carers and social workers, as they disagreed with the CZK 1,400 increase from January, agreed between the government and public sector union leaders in early October.
“We in the health and social services have certainly rejected this rise. Considering the overall inflation of 37% over the past years, the increase in scale pay by an average of 3% is totally insufficient. There is no point in a worker coming for social benefits. People need to be paid,” Zitnikova stressed.
Under the pending government pension reform, workers in the most risky fourth category and some of those in the third category who experience physical stress, vibration, cold and heat at work could be eligible for early pensions. Their employers would pay 5% higher social insurance contributions for them.
However, an additional proposal by coalition MPs from the Civic Democrats (ODS) and TOP 09 removes the third category. The number of people who could retire early without a pension cut would thus be reduced from 120,000 to 12,000.
“The way the government is acting and how the proposed change on demanding professions has been presented is really unacceptable to us,” Durco said.
Zitnikova also said that the proposed reduction in the number of workers with the possibility of early retirement was a failure of the government to keep its promise. She pointed out that the original amendment had been agreed for a long time, and described it as “minimal”.
The Industrial Alliance is made up of KOVO, the largest member union, and four others, such as the miners’ and construction workers’ unions.
The union leaders want to negotiate with the heads of the parties in parliament to ensure that their MPs will not support the proposal to limit early retirement for demanding professions. If the restricting amendment is passed, the unions are ready to organise protests, Durco said.
He added that the KOVO leadership would like to get permission to possibly call demonstrations and organise other actions at a meeting of the union members on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The opposition ANO and Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) have criticised the additional proposed restrictions to early retirement.
The Pirates, who left the government recently, are also opposed. They have announced that they would not support the entire pension reform if the proposal is adopted. Some MPs for the ruling Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and Mayors and Independents (STAN) also have reservations about the changes.
