After seven years, Czech Post employees have a collective agreement

"Our company is built on human labor. Investing in our employees is key for us. We could lean toward nice and appealing financial results, but our employees would miss out on three-quarters of a billion in benefits. While it is possible to replace the content of the collective agreement with internal standards that provide employees with adequate benefits, they cannot match the certainty of a binding document. Internal standards can be revoked with a single signature, but a collective agreement survives everything. I am glad that all nine union partners found common ground in their demands and agreed with us on the final form of this important document. Collective bargaining began in October 2024, when we received a joint proposal from the trade unions to conclude a collective agreement. Debates on the new conditions have been going on in our company for almost seven years. Without any real result. That result is coming now," says Miroslav Štěpán, CEO of Česká pošta.

"It was a long and difficult negotiation, with both sides trying to balance their demands and the employer's realistic possibilities. I am glad that the new collective agreement will guarantee employees all the benefits currently guaranteed unilaterally by the employer through internal regulations. It is also important that if the Parcel Service Division is spun off from Česká pošta into a separate entity, Parcel Service employees will automatically take these advantages and benefits with them to their new employer. The collective agreement will also apply to the new employer. This is a standard collective agreement and does not present any obstacle for potential investors. Every HR director is happy when such a landmark document of social dialogue is concluded. From July 1, the meal allowance will increase from CZK 80 to CZK 100 per shift worked, i.e., approximately CZK 400 net extra in the monthly salary. In addition, some allowances will increase, as will the number of sick days from one day to two, with higher compensation of 80% of average earnings. The inclusion of contributions to retirement products and life insurance in the collective agreement gives employees the certainty that these will continue to be provided. The collective agreement means certainty, which will further reduce the already declining staff turnover. And that is key to the stability of the company," says Václav Hejkal, HR Director at Česká pošta.

"We are very pleased that after so many years we have managed to conclude a collective agreement that provides decent benefits beyond the scope of the law. We have negotiated better conditions, such as a CZK 100 meal allowance, which postal workers will certainly appreciate. In view of the ongoing transformation of the company, the collective agreement provides certainty for all employees even after the separation of Balíkovna from Česká pošta. The collective bargaining was very demanding, and we would like to thank everyone for their support," says Jindřiška Budweiserová, chairwoman of P KOV Česká pošta.