• Deadlock in collective bargaining at Ceske Drahy
    01/04/2005

    Collective bargaining at the national railway operator Ceske Drahy has been interrupted indefinitely, following heated disputes over the collective agreement for 2005. The absence of such an agreement means that employees will lose a number of benefits. They will not receive wage supplements, have to work longer hours and have shorter holidays. There is concern that the longer working hours may result in redundancies. The company has a work force of 70,000 people.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Nine companies interested in Cesky Telecom
    01/04/2005

    Nine companies have expressed interest in buying the state's 51 percent stake in the telecommunications company Cesky Telecom. The National Property Fund has said it expects to have preliminary, non binding offers from all interested parties by February 3rd. The sale is expected to raise 50 to 60 billion crowns. The Czech government decided late last year to offer its stake in Cesky Telecom to an investor while retaining the option to sell the shares on the financial markets if no direct sale had been agreed by the end of March.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Twenty-five Czechs remain unaccounted for in Southern Asia, seven feared dead
    01/03/2005

    Twenty-five Czech nationals remain unaccounted for in South Asian disaster regions. The number of unaccounted for dropped by 7 on Monday, after two Czechs in Thailand, and five on Sri Lanka got in touch with authorities. So far the Czech Republic has had only one casualty confirmed, a 24-year-old woman who died in Thailand. The Foreign Ministry says 7 of the 25 missing are likely to have died in Thailand and Sri Lanka in the tsunami catastrophe. Three Czech women in Thai hospitals to return home

    The Czech ambassador to Thailand has said that three Czech women who are in Thai hospitals with serious injuries since last week are due to return to the Czech Republic in the coming days. The three include Czech supermodel Petra Nemcova who suffered a broken pelvis, one other adult woman and a nine-year-old girl who suffered severe cuts in the tsunami disaster.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Czechs raise 37.5 million crowns in individual donations, exceeding sum pledged by government
    01/03/2005

    Czechs have now raised more than 37.5 million crowns (1,233,000 euros) in public collections called by aid organisations to help the countries struck by the tsunami disaster. The government said it will donate another 5 million crowns on top of the 10 million already pledged for immediate relief.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Czech budget deficit sharply lower than expected in 2004
    01/03/2005

    The Czech Republic's budget deficit in 2004 totalled 93.5 billion crowns or just over 3 billion euros, some 700 million euros less than previously projected, the Finance Ministry said Monday. According to the ministry the outcome was the result of high tax revenues, and savings on expenditure.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Turkey abolishes visa requirement for Czechs
    01/03/2005

    Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda has announced that Turkey has abolished visa requirement for Czech citizens. As of this month Czechs travelling to Turkey will no longer be required to apply for visas. Turks travelling to the Czech Republic will still require Czech visas but the procedure has been simplified.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • New Year's sales spur shopping sprees
    01/03/2005

    New Year's sales in stores around the Czech Republic including a major hypermarket and a well-known furniture outlet have reportedly spurred dramatic shopping sprees in Czech and Moravian cities like Usti nad Labem, Pilsen, Ostrava, and Brno. It has been reported that in some areas, as a result of the shopping, traffic even grinded to a halt. The price drops saw Czechs pack stores to buy electronic and photo items, toys, women's and men's wear, and home appliances.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Czech Army plane brings home first Czech tsunami victim
    01/02/2005

    A Czech Army special carrying Czech, American, German and Finnish tourists as well as the body of the first Czech victim of the Indian Ocean disaster landed in Prague on Sunday morning. The only confirmed Czech casualty so far was a 24-year-old woman who died in Thailand. The list of Czechs in the region who have not yet contacted their relatives or Czech embassies has shrunk to 40. The Foreign Ministry says six of them are likely to have died in Thailand and Sri Lanka in last Sunday's catastrophe.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Three injured women in Thailand to be transported to Czech Republic
    01/02/2005

    The three Czech women who are in Thai hospitals with serious injuries sustained in the disaster are due to return to the Czech Republic, the Czech ambassador to Thailand said on Sunday, adding that their condition allows transport. Beside Czech supermodel Petra Nemcova who suffered a broken pelvis, another woman and a nine-year-old girl with severe cuts are being treated in hospitals in Thailand.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Gross: Czech Republic should coordinate aid with EU
    01/02/2005

    The Prime Minister Stanislav Gross has said that the Czech Republic should coordinate its aid to South Asia with the European Union. According to Mr Gross the current humanitarian aid stage will be followed by a renewal of the devastated areas in which the Czech Republic will take an active part. The government will hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to discuss the forms of immediate relief the Czech Republic is providing to the areas as well as further steps it will take. The Prime Minister also said that the Czech Republic will join the rest of the European Union in a three-minute silence on January 5, in honour of the tens of thousands of victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami waves.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

Pages