Czech news in brief for November 10: Friday's top headlines

Czech Post is actively recruiting parcel deliverers and counter workers, despite making mass redundancies in a restructuring process earlier this year. Facing closures of 300 branches and staff layoffs, the state-owned enterprise offers a CZK 15,000 recruitment allowance, five weeks of vacation, or a CZK 100 meal voucher. 

The recruitment drive, addressing both illness-related vacancies and natural turnover, extends nationwide for roles like logistics operators, parcel couriers, letter carriers, and counter workers. The company lists nearly 600 job openings on its website, including 124 positions in Prague, with a specific ad for a full-time counter worker in Jindřišská.

Deputy Prime Minister for Digitization Ivan Bartoš said today that Czechia currently boasts 60% basic digital skills, surpassing the EU average by 6 percentage points. However, Nordic countries like Finland, Sweden, and Denmark lead, with the Czech Republic followed by Eastern European nations. 

Bartoš said he aims to raise digital literacy to 80 percent by 2030, anticipating that over 90 percent of future jobs will require basic digital skills. The country faces challenges, holding one of the highest rates of unfilled IT positions in Europe (77 percent compared to the EU's 63 percent) and a low representation of women in the field (10 percent versus the EU's 19 percent). Educational reforms focus on enhancing digital skills and IT understanding.

Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová emphasized at a press conference today the necessity of adapting to reality, despite the reluctance for war. Speaking at a War Veterans' Day event, she justified the modernization of the army as crucial, not wasteful, spending.

Černochová expressed gratitude to soldiers, police officers, and security forces engaged in missions abroad. The focus on strengthening defense capabilities involves modernization, recruitment, and various initiatives. Chief of Staff Karel Řehka stressed the importance of societal support for soldiers, highlighting the event as a manifestation of unity, fostering communication between military personnel and civilians.

An art exhibition displaying paintings by the blind has opened on the seventh floor of Old Town Hall in Prague. The foundation, led by academic painter Dino Čeč since 2007, focuses on socially and economically integrating blind individuals into mainstream society. It is run by the Artevide Foundation.

I believe that all those who paint these pictures under the guidance of lecturers from the foundation often see more than we do,” commented Prague 1 mayor  Terezie Radoměřská. The exhibition runs until Nov. 22 and is open every Monday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Ministry of Finance has revised this year's economic outlook for the Czech Republic, projecting a steeper GDP decline of 0.5 percent, worsened from the initial forecast of 0.2% in August. Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura attributes the downturn to reduced household consumption amid high inflation.

The ministry anticipates a 10.8 percent average inflation rate, slightly better than the August estimate. Despite a predicted economic recovery in the fourth quarter, the country is expected to fall short of full-year growth due to the significant slowdown in household spending. The Czech Republic remains the only EU country yet to recover its pre-Covid-19 economic level, with a notable dependence on Germany, which faces economic challenges.

The Railway Administration (SŽ) has today announced it is disputing a study that suggests there is no need for a third track on Prague's Výton Bridge. The SŽ, aiming to replace the bridge, criticizes the study for omitting planned lines and misinterpreting train capacity inputs. 

The study, made by local non-governmental organization Nebourat, proposes achieving 2035 capacity through technological track modifications and constructing railway tunnels beneath Prague. SŽ's Pavel Paidar argues the study simplifies rail transport, akin to the subway, and neglects the complexity of varied train operations. The association's online petition against bridge replacement has garnered 18,800 signatures.

School unions are set to distribute guidelines to individual organizations outlining the process for an all-day warning strike along with templates for necessary documents. The Association of Primary School Principals is expected to clarify its strategy for addressing the strike scheduled for Nov. 27. Although the assocation has confirmed its lack of support for the strike, it will not obstruct anyone wishing to take part in the protest.

The dispute focuses on improved education funding as well as reduced wages for non-teaching staff, set to drop by two percent next year. Education Minister Mikuláš Bek aims to avert the strike and will meet with unionists next week. School unions, led by František Dobšík, advocate for unified support for all school staff, hoping for a resolution without a strike. Discussions continue between unionists and the government to address funding issues and avert potential strike action.

El Niño's influence will extend until April 2024, with predictions of above-average temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The phenomenon will likely diminish the possibility of a white Christmas across lower-lying areas.

Czech meteorologists expect a 1 to 2-degree rise in temperatures above the seasonal average over the next three months. El Niño is also anticipated to affect precipitation patterns globally, potentially bringing more rain to certain regions and less to others. With Copernicus predicting 2023 to be the warmest year on record, the undersea volcano eruption in 2022 could further affect the climate.

A court in Dublin has convicted a Slovak man of murdering 23-year-old teacher Ashling Murphy while she was jogging in Tullamore. The court found the 33-year-old guilty of fatally stabbing Murphy, inflicting 11 neck wounds. He claimed to have tried aiding Murphy, who he said was allegedly attacked by another man. A witness, however, testified to seeing the man pinning Murphy down.

He faces a life sentence, with the court set to issue the verdict on Nov. 17. The case, shocking Ireland and resonating in Britain, spotlighted the issue of violence against women. The accused had resided in Ireland for a decade and previously worked as a construction worker in the Czech Republic.

The six leading domestic banks facing taxes on extraordinary profits this year collectively earned CZK 57.1 billion in the first three quarters, a slight drop from CZK 58.4 billion in the same period last year, per bank reports. The primary reason for the CZK 1.3 billion decline in net profits is the reduced net interest income due to increasing deposit costs.

Analysts highlighted these cost pressures, noting that banks maintained healthy loan portfolios despite the reduced margins. Despite the windfall tax, its impact on increasing deposit rates had limited revenues, indicating it might not fulfill expectations for state budget supplementation.

The 26th Festival of French Film, set for Nov. 23-29 in Prague and several other Czech cities, will feature 47 films and include tributes to director Jean-Luc Godard. The event, also hosted in Brno, Ostrava, Ceske Budejovice, and Hradec Kralove, will open at Prague's Lucerna cinema with "Bonnard, Pierre et Marthe," the story of French post-impressionist painter Pierre Bonnard.

Also noteworthy is the screening of the CANAL+ series "D'Argent Et De Sang" by Xavier Giannoli, while the competition segment vies for an Audience Award. See the festival's website for the full program (several films have English subtitles).