Czech public media workers staged a one-day strike over a funding overhaul
Employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio staged a one-day strike Tuesday over a government plan to replace license fees with state-budget funding, while thousands protested in Prague, Brno and Ostrava. Workers say the proposed model would provide substantially less money and threaten the broadcasters’ independence. The bill remains under parliamentary consideration.
More context
Thousands of people rallied in Prague, Brno and Ostrava on Tuesday as employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio held a one-day strike against a government proposal to overhaul public-broadcaster funding. Protesters in Prague called for the legislation to be withdrawn. Workers say shifting from license fees to state-budget funding would provide substantially less money and threaten the broadcasters’ independence. Czech Radio broadcast only music through the morning, interrupted by a brief explanation of the strike and a minute of silence. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said abolishing the fees fulfills an election promise and denied seeking control over editorial decisions. The proposal has yet to clear Parliament. Expats.cz reported further protests are planned for Nov. 10 and 15.
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Reporting
- ABC News — Czech public media workers go on strike over a government plan to overhaul their funding - ABC News
- theprint.in (with Reuters) — Thousands protest in Prague as Czech broadcasters strike over funding overhaul
- euobserver.com — Czech public broadcasters hold historic strike following government vote to abolish license fees – EUobserver
- expats.cz — Thousands rally in central Prague as Czech TV and radio employees strike - Prague, Czech Republic
Verifier’s note
Reuters reports thousands taking to the streets as broadcasters struck, and ABC News, EUobserver, and Expats.cz also report the Prague protests alongside the strike over the funding overhaul. The reports match the proposed event and date.