News

Labour and Social Affairs Minister Marian Jurečka has submitted a proposal that would increase old-age pensions for former dissidents from next year if it is approved by the government on Wednesday. The bill foresees people who have a certificate of resistance against communism receiving the nationwide average pension, which would mean an increase for hundreds of people.

Many former dissidents who stood up to the communist regime are now living on very low pensions as a result of low incomes due to being imprisoned, forced into exile, or not being allowed to go to university and instead being made to work menial jobs for low pay. Since pensions are calculated based on lifetime earnings, for many dissidents this had a huge impact on the pensions they would later receive.

Former dissident and Charter 77 signatory Jiří Gruntorád went on hunger strike last month over the ongoing problem of low pensions for former dissidents and was later joined by fellow ex-dissident John Bok. They ended their protest after the government ordered the Labour Ministry to prepare a proposal to correct the problem by mid-December.

Polish film director Agnieszka Holland has started work on her latest project, the feature film "Franz" about the Prague-born writer Franz Kafka, the Czech News Agency announced on Saturday. Shooting is set to take place in the Czech Republic and Germany over 40 days starting in April next year, with an expected cinema release date at the end of 2024. The screenplay was written by Marek Epstein in collaboration with Holland.

One of the most successful Polish filmmakers in recent decades, Agnieszka Holland is a graduate of the FAMU film school in Prague and often works on Czech co-productions, collaborates with Czech producers and screenwriters, or makes films about topics relating to Czech history.

The city government has announced that Prague will not be putting on a public fireworks or projection mapping display on New Year's Eve this year. However, the city is instead offering residents a discounted admission fee to several Prague attractions on New Year's Day.

On presenting proof of residence or employment in Prague, such as a city public transport pass, locals will be able to visit the zoo and botanical gardens for practically free, only paying a symbolic CZK 1 entry fee, and can see the Public Transport Museum and the seven towers managed by Prague City Tourism for a discounted price.

Since 2020, Prague has also tightened the rules for setting off fireworks, with people no longer allowed to set them off in most areas of the city centre.

As of December 15, the Czech law on whistleblower protection requirements has been extended to small companies with 50 or more employees. Previously, the law setting down the requirements for the protection of whistleblowers was only binding for firms with 250 or more workers. The new norms for companies include identifying secure reporting channels through which people can report corruption and identifying the person responsible for investigating the notification, among others. Companies that fail to guarantee these protection requirements could face penalties of up to one million crowns.