Prague, Aug 16 (CTK) – The leadership of Czech Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) supports the restructuring of the heavily indebted coal-mining company OKD, a crucial employer in the North Moravia region, on which its creditors decided last week, party deputy chairman Jan Bartosek told journalists yesterday.
This is a right step, Bartosek said.
However, the proposed restructuring must contain the enumeration of the costs of the phase-out including the way it will be covered, he added.
Bartosek said when the restructuring plan would be prepared, the miners’ salaries must not be lowered and they will have to keep stable jobs.
He said the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry should unveil a plan of retraining and say how it would offer openings to the dismissed miners.
The Labour and Social Affairs Ministry or Regional Development Minister should draft a plan under which the people would be provided with accessible housing if they will have to move for their jobs, Bartosek said.
The decision to restructure the firm will enable the OKD to continue with the coal-mining. The state will give it a loan of up to 700 million crowns. The agreement was concluded on Monday.
OKD has some 12,000 employees at the moment and around 9,500 are regular employees. The others are agency workers and employees in supplier companies.
If it went bust, unemployment would soar in North Moravia.
($1=24.162 crowns)
