Czech public broadcasters hold warning strike over funding reform
Czech Television and Czech Radio employees held a warning strike on Monday over government plans to replace license fees with state budget funding, over fears that the planned reform would jeopardize their independence. The strike was reflected in broadcasts throughout the day across all channels except children's programming.
In Prague, happenings and protest gatherings took place in front of the Czech Radio building on Vinohradská Street and in front of the Czech Television news headquarters at Kavčí hory. Striking employees came to work dressed in black and called on their supporters to do the same.
The websites of both media also displayed a banner informing visitors about Monday's strike, with a link to an explanatory page outlining the reasons for the strike and describing how it was reflected in the broadcasting of both institutions.
In the evening, a meeting was held between representatives of the Czech Television and Czech Radio trade union leadership and representatives of the governing coalition. After the meeting, the trade unionists reiterated that both the way the laws are being discussed and the content of the proposals are unacceptable to them.
“The proposal must under no circumstances damage either of the two institutions. It must be predictable and guaranteed, with safeguards. However, we did not have a detailed debate about it because we believe that this is a matter for the management of both media institutions, not for the unions.”
Said Vlastimil Vojtěch, vice-chairman of the trade union. The meeting was also attended by SPD chairman Tomio Okamura, according to whom politicians are open to continuing discussions with the unions.
“That debate will last for months, because the first, second and third readings will take the entire half-year until the end of the year. We are completely open to that debate because it concerns public service media. We certainly agreed that the trade unionists of Czech Television and Czech Radio have the door open at any time.”
Employees also gathered in front of the Czech Television and Czech Radio buildings in Brno and Ostrava. In Brno, employees were supported by actors and actresses from Brno theatres, who read excerpts from works by George Orwell or Karel Čapek.
Representatives of the strike committee of the initiative Veřejnoprávně, which has so far been signed by 3,500 of the approximately 4,250 employees of both media, stated that the warning strike is only the beginning and that they are prepared to defend public service broadcasting by all available democratic means.
On Monday, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), in a joint statement with seventeen public service media organisations from Central and Eastern Europe and eight journalism organisations, also called on the Czech government to abandon the planned changes. According to the EBU, the government’s proposed legislation does not contain legal guarantees aimed at protecting Czech Television and Czech Radio from political influence over future funding decisions.
