Trade unions recommend not to vote for gov't parties in regions

Prague, Oct 3 (CTK) - Czech trade unions recommended Wednesday that people do not vote for candidates of the government coalition parties in the mid-October regional and Senate elections because the government unfavourably affects the future of regions with its steps.

Leaders of the CMKOS umbrella trade unions organisation pointed to a high unemployment rate (8.3 percent in August), economic stagnation and decreasing real terms (dropped by 1.1 percent in the second quarter of the year).

The union confederation never before explicitly recommended to people how to vote. It mainly assessed the programmes of particular parties and what politicians' proposals would bring to employees while the left always won in the analysis.

In its appeal, CMKOS said the regional and Senate elections are not about the centre-right coalition government of Petr Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS), yet "representatives of the government parties should not be trusted" by the voters.

The unions wrote that "this government is demonstrably the worst in the past decade."

CMKOS criticises the government for not discussing its plans with partners in the tripartite and pushes them through by force.

The tripartite brings together representatives of the government, employers and employees.

The government does nothing against distraints and corruption, CMKOS said, and it blamed the recent methanol scandal that claimed 27 lives while tens of other people were hospitalised on the government.

The regional elections and the first round of the Senate elections will be held on October 12-13. The second round of the Senate elections will be held one week later.