Fiala: Govt. meeting hunger striker’s demands on dissidents’ pensions

Prime Minister Petr Fiala has called on one-time dissident Jiří Gruntorád to abandon a hunger strike, saying the government will meet his demands.

Mr. Gruntorád, who has been camped out in front of the Office of the Government for almost a week, is calling for the resignation of the minister of labour and social affairs, Marian Jurečka, over the fact some pre-1989 opponents of the communist regime are on relatively low old-age pensions.

On Wednesday the government said it would draft proposals to ensure that one-time dissidents get decent pensions in the coming weeks.

Those who opposed the Communists have low pensions for reasons such as imprisonment, forced emigration or not being allowed to work in their chosen professions; many were only allowed to do menial jobs.