Director General of the Labor Office of the Czech Republic Viktor Najmon in a photo from November 6, 2020.
Prague – The sacked head of the Labor Office Viktor Najmon is defending himself against the decision to leave his post. He appealed through the Secretary of State. He considers his removal from the post arbitrary and illegal. Najmon told ČTK today. He summarized his reasons in a more than thirty-page document, which is available to ČTK. Najmon was dismissed by Minister of Labor Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL) in mid-February after an unfavorable job evaluation. He repeatedly stated that he was not long-term satisfied with Najmon's management of the office. According to the ministry, the decision was issued in accordance with the Civil Service Act. The law allows the accused person to defend himself, so it is not unusual that he took advantage of it, office spokeswoman Eva Davidová told ČTK, adding that the ministry's position is not changing.
Advertisement'; }
“In response to my arbitrary and illegal dismissal two weeks ago from the position of General Director of the Labor Office by Minister of Labor Marian Jurečka and State Secretary Ingrid Štegmannová, I filed an appeal within the legal deadline on February 28,” Najmon told ČTK.
< p>Davidová repeated that Najmon was dismissed due to long-term dissatisfaction with the top management of the labor office. “Minister Jurečka repeatedly expressed his reservations against the highest management of the office, which was dealing with protracted and unresolved problems. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications proposed a whole range of solutions and measures that would bring about a systemic improvement of the situation,” she said, adding that it is also evident from the text of the appeal itself, that the appellant did not fully understand the role of the Director General of the key office. “More than ever in the current complex situation, it is necessary for such an important institution to be headed by a competent manager,” she stated.
According to the spokesman of the Ministry of the Interior Ondřej Krátoška, the appeal will be resolved according to the administrative rules. Therefore, the person who issued the decision will decide on it first. He can cancel or change it. If he does not come to such a conclusion, he forwards the appeal to the appellate administrative body.
Labor offices have been facing an onslaught since last year. It is drawing criticism for delayed processing and payment of benefits. Minister Najmon criticized repeatedly. Two weeks ago, at a meeting of the social committees of the House and the Senate, he said that the labor office was not working well. He mentioned several times last year that the CEO was not proactive enough in solving problems. According to the minister, despite the proposed measures, the situation did not develop well. Najmon rejects criticisms and reservations. The Ministry announced that it will announce a selection process for the post of Director General. The office is temporarily headed by Karel Trpkoš, senior director of the information technology section of the ministry.
There are approximately 11,500 jobs in the labor office. Najmon told deputies in early February that there were 381 unfilled positions in the republic. According to Najmon, the office accelerated the auditions. In the metropolis, it offers an additional fee upon boarding. It also accepts contract workers to help out. Employees are redistributed between branches, digital requests are processed by workplaces in the Liberec and Ústí Regions. The call center, which will answer questions instead of them, should also make it easier for employees. The Ministry is gradually introducing digitization. Trade unions criticize the procedure. According to them, the applications are not tested and work only for clients, officials continue to process materials manually.
Najmon was appointed head of the office in November 2020 by the then Minister of Labor Jana Maláčová (ČSSD). He won the bankruptcy, before that he ran the CEO's office. He replaced Kateřina Sadílková as director, who resigned in January 2020 citing family reasons. Last year, she returned to the Ministry of Labor as Jureček's political deputy.
