ARMENIAN JOURNALIST SUES RFE/RL IN PRAGUE OVER DISMISSAL – PRESS

Czech News Agency
Published: Jun 14, 2007

Prague, June 14 (CTK) – Czech courts will probably deal with the
alleged discrimination against some employees of the U.S.-funded
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) seated in Prague, the daily
Lidove noviny (LN) writes today, referring to the case of Armenian
reporter Anna Karapetian who complaints against her dismissal from
the radio after 12 years. Karapetian claims that the notice is
invalid and wants the employer to annul it, LN adds. RFE/RL refused
to comment on the case. The RFE/RL employees who do not come either
from the United States or the Czech Republic have problems with
defending their rights. While Czechs can rely on the Labour Code,
disputes with U.S. employees are solved by the Washington-seated Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission. But foreign employees from the third
countries have no institution to turn to with labour disputes. They
sign contracts with RFE/RL on the basis of U.S. laws but they have not
right for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to deal with
their cases, LN writes. Czech courts had ruled in the case of another
employee that the RFE/RL can sign contracts with foreigners on the
basis of U.S. law. This actually means that foreigners working in the
Czech Republic can be deprived of the employees’ rights guaranteed
for Czech citizens. The defence counsel of this female employee,
who requested anonymity, has filed a recourse with the Supreme Court
and his client is prepared to turn to the Constitutional Court.

Karapetian says she is willing to do the same, LN notes. LN commentator
Martin Zverina writes in today’s issue of the paper that the practice
in the RFE/RL concerning its different approach to employees is
at variance with the radio station’s ideals. "Prague’s office of
the Radio Free Europe promising to promote the ideas of freedom,
democracy and law is behaving as an employer as if the proclaimed
principles should apply ‘only’ to the whole world, but not inside this
respected institution," Zverina says. He adds that the radio employees
are divided into three "castes" – Americans, Czechs and those from the
third countries who "enjoy" no protection. The radio management grossly
abuses this situation and treats such employees like "a colonial power
treated natives with no rights," Zverina says. It is also strange,
if not even alarming that Czech courts consider this practice
correct. It will be interesting to watch the higher-level court’s
stance on these cases as in relation to the possible stationing of a
U.S. radar defence base on Czech territory, the Czech Republic should
clearly prevent such practice, Zverina writes in LN.