News of Radio Prague

Teachers threaten to get tough if pay demands not met

Striking teachers returned to work on Tuesday warning the government that tougher measures would follow if their pay demands are not met. The ball is in the government's court now, a trade union spokesman said, warning that the one day token strike had merely been "a finger raised in warning" and that teachers unions would not hesitate to employ tougher measures should it prove necessary. He did not specify what those measures would be. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla and Education Minister Petra Buzkova have both sought to play down the impact of the strike, describing it as "pointless". The Education Minister said that she had done her best for teachers within the planned budget cuts which have affected every sector. Teachers and other union workers are expected to voice their concerns again at a labour rally to be held on September 13th in Prague.

Police launch road-safety operation

The police have launched a massive operation to try to reduce the number of casualties on Czech roads. This includes thousands of random checks on frequented roads and heavy fines on people caught speeding or drinking and driving. As part of the operation, police are also handing out 20,000 video cassettes titled "Do only idiots crash?" Statistics show that the past summer has been one of the worst in Czech history. 159 people were killed on Czech roads in the month of July alone. The number one cause of death is speeding, followed by drinking and driving.

Austrian courts must deal with Temelin lawsuits

The Austrian Supreme Court has ruled that Austrian courts must deal with lawsuits against the south Bohemian nuclear power plant Temelin, thus overturning a ruling by a lower court that these suits were out of Austrian courts' jurisdiction. The decision was welcomed by representatives of Upper Austria and by environmentalists who have been saying for years that Temelin is not safe and presents a threat to neighbouring Austria. Many of them have filed suits with Austrian courts.

Court halts distraint order against Tesco

A Czech court has halted a distraint order against Tesco Stores, after the company appealed the decision on Tuesday. The distraint order was issued at the instigation of entrepreneur Jiri Malik who claims that Tesco Stores owes his company M.I.C. 350 million Czech crowns. Tesco has rejected Malik's claims, saying that this was not the first distraint he had instigated against the company and a court of law had found his previous demands groundless. A Tesco spokesman said earlier news of the distraint had not had any effect on the operation of Tesco department stores.

Weather:

Wednesday should be partly cloudy to overcast with some rain and temperatures between 15 and 17 degrees Celsius.