Unions blast Babiš plan to cut tenth of Czech civil servants

The Trade Union of State Bodies and Organizations (OSSOO) has sharply criticized Prime Minister Andrej Babiš's government plan to cut a tenth of the staff at Czech state institutions. According to available information, even government ministers were not informed of the mass layoff proposal in advance — and they were among the first to speak out against it.

OSSOO chairman Pavel Bednář called the situation alarming, saying the plan for across-the-board cuts was drawn up without first examining its practical consequences. “Such a major intervention in how the state functions cannot be prepared by first setting a political figure of ten percent and only then looking for where and how to achieve it,” Bednář said, stressing that every abolished position represents real, concrete work.

According to the union leader, if the government intends to remove a tenth of the workforce, it must simultaneously explain which of the state's functions it will no longer perform. Bednář warned that ordinary citizens would be the first to feel the staff cuts — through a decline in the quality of public services.

The unions also point out that the layoffs come on top of other changes — a new construction law and amendments to the civil service law — which are already creating uncertainty in government offices, compounded by unclear prospects for wage growth. “An overwhelming workload, miserable pay, complete uncertainty about the future. And on top of that, Ms. Bartha dares to propose that every tenth employee should pack up their things by the end of December? That is absolutely unacceptable,” Bednář said indignantly. Instead of cuts, he argued, the state should be looking for savings, simplifying procedures and eliminating unnecessary functions based on an audit.

“If the government wants to keep testing what it can get away with when it comes to us, it has now hit a firm limit,” the union chairman concluded.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz