Global Rights Index 2014 - Czech Republic

Country Rating: 2

• Repeated violation of rights

• Countries with a rating 2 have slightly weaker collective labour rights than those with the rating 1. Certain rights have come under the repeated attack by governments and/or companies and have undermined the struggle for better working conditions.

The Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (CMKOS) reports that laws and policies, including a new Civil Code have been adopted without the consultation of trade unions, contrary to past practice. The lack of social cohesion regarding the policy direction of the government has had a negative impact on employment and poverty. Austerity measures which have been undertaken since 2011 concern cuts in unemployment benefits, pensions and birth grants.

The Business Corporations Act (Act No. 90/2012) and the new Civil Code abolished the obligation to include union representatives in the boards of join-stock companies. Unions have protested against arguments that companies with union representatives on their boards were less competitive by pointing at relevant studies conducted by the EU. These changes will strengthen the interests of the shareholders at the expense of workers and workplace democracy.

Amendments to the Labour Code which were introduced in 2013 strengthen the role of work councils as opposed to unions by putting them at equal footing with unions when it comes to the consultations. Collective agreement can now be cancelled with six month prior notice and workers in micro-companies are excluded from the right to join unions. This amendment modified conditions for trade union activities in an undertaking in the following way: it is required that at least three members are in employment relation with the employer and the statutes of the trade union organisation include an authorisation to act in its own name; in the case of small undertakings with one or two employees the amendment means that the trade union protection will not be possible anymore.