Trade unions hold series of strikes to protest against government reforms

Around one million people have joined the series of strikes held by Czech trade unions in protest of the government reforms. It is being described as one of the largest protests since the fall of communism. The unions are particularly critical of reforms implemented in the education and health sectors, as well as the government’s plan to increase the retirement age in the Czech Republic.

The strike has been symbolically joined by Czech Post, one of the country’s largest employers with 37,000 workers. The union at another large Czech employer, Czech Railways, declined to take part. Czech train drivers, however, did stop around one thousand passenger trains for just over an hour. Public transport in many cities and towns stopped as well. About 30,000 people out of a total of about 200,000 people working in the Czech health sector have also participated in the strike. Services have been limited but emergency wards have been kept open.

Author: Ruth Fraňková