Breaking: the strike was canceled on Wednesday.
Main train station
Strike of transport union workers won’t take place on Monday but on Thursday, if it is going to happen at all.
Government wants to change the controversial tax law that has increased the level of taxation of employee benefits. However the prime minister lacks wide support of political parties and it is likely the law won’t change at all.
The reason for the strike
Unions protest against the fact that the employee benefits tax is now based on a real market value of the benefits, not on the special “employee prices”. Czech railways sell one-year travel permits to customers for CZK 22,000 but employees get these for CZK 250 – so now they shall pay tax as high as CZK 2,000.
Why I am getting sick of this protest
- Strike is a strong weapon that – in my point of view – should be used when an employer treats his employees badly and not when you are not happy with a law. Noone should damage both its customers and employer when he disagrees with a law, at least as long as the law is rational and fair.
- If someone decides to go on a strike, he should have the decency to stick with one date. This causes a brain-pain to everyone who may have problems with travelling to work or to a doctor and in the end it turns the public opinion again the unions.
- Railway employees have benefits that are unusual in both other state-owned or private-owned companies. Why should not they tax them as everyone else does?
- The unions are now hysterically supported by socialists, who actually did vote for the new law last year. Hipocracy 2.0.
