After media reported about the large severance package for Pavol Kravec, the departing head of Slovakia’s passenger railway company, the Sme daily wrote that Pavol Ďuriník, the former head of Cargo, the state-owned railway freight company, might also receive nearly €100,000 in bonuses and severance pay, according to Transport Ministry spokesman Martin Kóňa.
This is the third case of a so-called golden parachute in recent days as the former head of state-owned Slovenská pošta, Marcela Hrdá, also received a large severance package. Kóňa added that Ján Figeľ, the former transport minister from the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), has left some more similar arrangements within the ministry-supervised firms. The spokesman for the ministry added that the amount to be paid in bonuses and severance pay is now getting close to €750,000, Sme wrote on June 12.
The trade union representative for employees of the passenger carrier, Slovakrail (ZSSK), has criticised the high bonuses paid to Kravec. The railway trade union said, as reported by the Pravda daily, that Kravec received a total of €170,000 during times of strict austerity measures when the company sacked hundreds of employees.
František Petroci, the head of the railway trade union, said that employees also dislike the fact that their salaries were not increased for some time and that managers of ZSSK were also trying to save money by cutting social benefits. Though the government finally increased salaries by a few percent, Petroci said that increase does not compensate for a fall in salaries in the past two years.
Source: Sme, Pravda
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
