Statements

Last year, we were talking about trade unions protecting worker’s rights that were won over the last centuries. We were giving warnings that our good jobs were not as safe as they could seem and that even tech workers should join trade unions. The last 12 months have unfortunately proved us right. Since our last May 1st catch up, we have faced a negative trend in our sector globally. It started with unprecedented waves of layoffs over the last 12 months that included layoffs at Google, Apple, Amazon, Tesla, IBM and continued through the whole ICT sector in multiple countries

We are very happy to announce that the ICT union is present in a new workplace and with this statement we are welcoming our colleagues from Expedia Services. We are looking forward to improving our working conditions together. We believe that a union can make Expedia an even better place for work. “Workers from Expedia are very motivated to get fair treatment from their company. Recent layoffs left a bitter taste in their mouths, but they are standing together and supporting each other in these challenging times.

We disagree with new proposal, that would allow employers to terminate employees without cause. This proposal has been made by National economic council (NERV) at January 2024. There is enough options for termination in current czech labor code. Adding termination without cause would open to door to firing people for personal reasons, political opinions, union membership, ethnicity, etc. That would lead to even more fear at workplaces and to weaker position of employees.

The Slovak branch of the American company Dell, Dell Technologies Slovakia, systematically suppresses the activities of the trade union Technologies Unions Slovakia and illegally fired the chairman of this organization, Daniel Andrášek. Other members of the union’s board have also had their jobs eliminated, and to a much greater extent than other employees of the company. The chairman of the trade union was fired despite the fact that the trade union, the European Works Council and the Slovak Labour Office expressed their disapproval.

We, same as most of the developers, are keeping up with controversy about Unity engine runtime fee policy. And we, trade union of ICT workers including game developers, would like to make a statement. Our believe is that any change regarding licensing policies of Unity technologies which could be described as: retroactively affecting users and existing install bases forcing Unity licensees to unwillingly include tracking software in their applications effectively disqualifying licensees to pick their business model done in highly non-transparent fashion without any prior discussion with community is unnacceptable

The ICT sector is a rapidly growing sector that has over the last ten years vastly changed the work scenery in the Czech Republic. A lot of big international companies decided to open centers here and also quite a few Czech companies started and expanded their activities. The salaries they were offering compared to the existing opportunities, appeared attractive which led more and more locals leaping to this promising sector but also a lot of foreigners moving to the Czech Republic in search of better pay and working conditions.

The leadership of the trade union OSPPP has had badges made for trade unionists who support strike action against the government’s austerity package. ICT union, as a member of the OSPPP, hereby join the call of our parent organisation. Letter from the OSPPP President to the affiliated unions: Dear colleagues, As we have already informed you, the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions has on Monday 15 declared a strike emergency. The OSPPP unequivocally supports the strike alert.

What do you think when you hear of the 1st of May? Do you think of just a day off and kissing under a cherry tree? As workers in the ICT sector, we consider it to be much more than that. But in order to understand why we think this day is not another public holiday like any other, we need to first understand where this day came from. International worker’s day was established in 1889 to commemorate the Haymarket affair in Chicago on 4 of May 1886.

The international women’s day is here and already our companies are sending out emails for fun competitions and company parties, giving out flowers and chocolate to the female employees. But we do not see this day, that has its roots actually with the strike of American garment female workers, as a celebration but as an opportunity to contemplate on the women’s actual standing in the workplace. Yes, there have been improvements due to the efforts of workers and institutions in the EU setting and individual countries.

Last week, on the 25th of November, we comemorated the International day for the Elimination of Violence against women, which inspired me to take the time and write my reflections on the issue, as a woman working in the ITC Sector. I think I never felt as in touch with and affected by the fact that I am a woman, until I started working for the company, at which I have been employed for the past 4 years.