The Post is resolving a legal battle over salaries that can change the Czech Republic

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One of the largest employers in the Czech Republic is dealing with a legal battle that may overturn customs on the Czech labor market. According to two Seznam Zpráv sources, lawyers have a hundred lawsuits on their desks.

Current and former employees claim that Česká pošta rewarded them unevenly. In simple terms, they object to the fact that, according to them, the state-owned company paid differently for the same work in individual regions, which is contrary to the Labor Code.

Dozens of lawsuits are based on the case of Olomouc driver Petr Hradil. He had a monthly salary about 3,500 crowns lower than his colleagues in Prague. Justice, including the Constitutional Court, found him to be right, according to them, the post office violated the Labor Code.

The Post Office, which employs over 23,000 people, responded vaguely to Seznam Zpráv’s inquiry regarding the number of lawsuits. “The Czech Post is currently conducting disputes regarding a similar claim as in the case of Mr. Hradil, but in this context, we emphasize that these are individual lawsuits,” said post spokesman Matyáš Vitík.

He added that the judiciary assesses specific cases of given employees in relation to the performance of their work.

At the same time, the state-owned company objects that the courts have not yet determined the amount of compensation for the driver, who was upheld by the Constitutional Court three years ago. “There was no final decision on the issue of the specific amount of the wage supplement. Thus, the legal dispute has not yet been legally concluded as a whole. It is therefore premature to deal with the issue of compensation both in relation to Mr. Hradil and other employees,” Vitík added.

According to trade unionists, the claims of other complainants may reach several billion crowns. “It’s a ticking time bomb, a big problem that we’ve been warning the post office about for many years. The Labor Code has not changed in this respect since 2006. It clearly states that the employee should receive equal pay for equal work. What is the company up to here? In typical positions, he should match wages,” Evžen Dvorský, chairman of the Trade Union Movement of Česká pošta employees, told Seznam Zprávám.

The risk of hundreds of lawsuits has been hanging over the post office for several years. The management of the state-owned company repeatedly tried to scare them away with promises to change the salary policy. However, employees and trade unions criticize that nothing has changed in practice.

At the same time, the different amount of salaries in the regions also applies to a number of other sectors. Employers argue the different costs of living in the regions. Similarly, Czech Post defends itself before the courts. In the case of Petr Hradil, she argued that the job of a driver in Prague is more responsible than, for example, in Olomouc.

However, the judiciary did not agree with this.

Constitutional judges upheld the lower courts. In their verdict three years ago, they stated, among other things, that the higher salary only applied to the capital city. “It is hardly possible to conclude that the necessary costs of living are significantly higher only ‘in Prague and the surrounding area’, while outside Prague they are a homogeneous quantity. Even when comparing Brno and Olomouc, for example, the costs of purchasing housing will not completely match, and the difference between other regional cities will be even more significant,” they said.

Trade unionists see it similarly. “Look at food prices, mortgage interest rates, electricity. It’s an odd argument, complete demagoguery,” Dvorský responded.

The state-owned enterprise claims it is not breaking the law. “Czech Post consistently adheres to the principle of equal treatment in the area of ​​remuneration, the system of which we subject to regular revision to ensure its compliance with legal regulations, and any changes to it are made with regard to ensuring compliance of the company’s internal regulations with legal regulations, or with regard to the needs of the company “, Vitík said.

Disgruntled employees are represented by Rovná mzda. She has been bringing them together since June 2022. Thousands of people have turned to her. Seznam Zpráva asked its representatives about the current situation, the answers did not arrive by the time the article was published.

On its website, it appeals to disgruntled workers and offers them legal representation. “All Czech Post employees who worked outside of Prague can now register on our website and thus join the hundreds of their colleagues who are already trying to get their wages paid,” they write, among other things.