Ľuboš Lopatka, a nominee of the previous government, resigned from his post as director general of the state-run social insurer, Sociálna Poisťovňa, which he had held since September 2010. He said that he sent a letter to the government offering his resignation and that it had been accepted at the cabinet session held on July 6, the TASR newswire reported.
“I made the decision voluntarily and after thorough consideration,” stated Lopatka, as quoted by TASR, adding that it is up to the government to determine his last day in the office.
Despite his resignation, Lopatka described his relations with current Labour Minister Ján Richter as proper. He expressed satisfaction that as a general director he managed to launch significant reforms in the institution.
Richter explained that the reason for Lopatka’s resignation was his disagreement with the replacement of top managers working for the insurer’s regional branches.
“In certain cases, it is necessary to look for solutions that would comply with new ideas, new tasks,” said Richter, as quoted by TASR, in reference to the replacements, adding that these ‘new tasks’ are related to the current government’s programme statement and policies.
The former labour minister and current MP for the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, Jozef Mihál, said he believed that it was just a matter of time for Lopatka to come into conflict with the management of the Labour Ministry. He said that the outgoing director general of Sociálna Poisťovňa decided to resign “rather than to conform to political pressure”, TASR reported.
Mihál praised Lopatka’s accomplishments in bringing the institution into black numbers, increasing its income and cutting down the number of complaints.
“During his tenure, Sociálna Poisťovňa was getting closer to people,” Mihál told TASR.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
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