CZECH Republic: country report
EPSU Campaign „Quality Public Services in Europe - Quality of Life”
Questions for national report:
1. Important reforms in public services:
A few years ago, a significant reform of public administration took place in the Czech Republic. A number of responsibilities were transferred from the State onto self-regulating regions and communities. The State got rid of a large number of decision-making processes that should have been done nationally; at the same time the regions took over the role of establishers and owners of property of organisations providing public services like healthcare, social services, road transport control etc. This transfer in responsibilities, however, was not accompanied by corresponding transfer of financial means or creating legal environment ensuring accessibility and quality of the services. In a number of cases, regions and communities decided about a change in legal status of services-providing organisations and/or about privatization of services.
While the regions (often with right-wing regional governments) strive to lower the costs through changing legal status of organizations and through privatization, the left-wing national government is trying now, shortly before the elections, to create an impression of correcting the mistakes of the past election period. In the healthcare, this causes chaos impacting negatively on health insurance companies, care providing organizations and their employees and on patients.
The new bill regarding social services, which widens the possibilities for clients to choose the services they need, is widely appreciated.
Legal regulations adjusting civil service and military service remain inefficient owing to lack of State funding for settlement pay claims of civil servants.
For Trade Unions, adoption of the new Labour Code is very important, as well as the related legislation regarding health protection and safety at work, accident insurance and health insurance. That legislation, however, does not fully correspond with trade union views on their own role as well as the role of the Tripartite and the State.
2. Impact of reforms on funding, organisation and quality of services:
Improvements in quality of services are not evident in any respect. Trade Unions concentrate on protection of the rights of employees and on retainment of previously agreed terms and benefits in case of changes in legal position of an organisation. They strive to retain availability, accessibility and quality of services. In the healthcare, this probably will not be tenable any more. Some services provided by public administration have been improved through getting closer to citizens - like e.g. Identity Cards, passports, driving licence and other certificates and other services provided by local governments and/or offices.
3. Further reforms planned:
Trade Unions in education and training oppose to teachers being transferred from the State administration to the province of regions, which very probably will occur in 2007. A reform in healthcare is necessary. Social services will have to adapt to the conditions set by the new law coming into operation in January 2007. A reform in pensions will probably start after the elections held in June 2006.
4. Key requests of social partners:
Trade Unions affiliated to EPSU regard high quality of services and their accessibility as one of the bridges between employees and general public and as a defence tool against privatisation. In the latter point we often differ with employers. Where we agree with each other is the area of public health insurance (public insurance companies) and in views concerning healthcare reforms. Consumer organisations (with the exception of the Association for Protection of Tenants) have still been rather weak and trade unions must substitute for them. NGOs are not active in a number of areas of general public interests or in the quality of public services. In the area of social services, we cooperate with NGOs promoting initiatives in both providing and consuming services (the handicapped etc.)
(April 2006)
RNDr. Jiří Schlanger
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