Czech Labor Office director rejects accusations that Romani flood victims are being treated unequally, Czech Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs says she has reports of unequal treatment from reliable sources

“I went to the Labor Office to request Exceptional Aid, but I encountered bureaucratic obstacles. I was told I had to submit my rental contract for the apartment that had been submerged even though it was clear that I have no access to it now. The staffers at the office were unprepared for this situation and behaved arrogantly,” Romani activist Elena Gorolová, a flood victim from the Ostrava-Přívoz quarter, told news server Romea.cz previously.

Director-General of the Labor Offices of the Czech Republic rejects the allegations

Krištof dismissed out of hand the idea that such behavior could have happened. “That information is not based on the truth. That has to be refuted right away, I have checked it,” he told news server Romea.cz, adding that he had “clarified” the entire situation with Commissioner Fuková.

Fuková, however, disagrees with that assessment and confirmed that she is receiving reports of a disrespectful, inconsistent approach being taken by Labor Office bureaucrats toward the Romani flood victims applying for Exceptional Immediate Aid benefits. “I am in touch for several hours every day with people in the field in the areas affected by the flood and I am actually receiving, from reliable sources, information about an approach toward the [Romani] women and men applying for Exceptional Immediate Aid benefits that is both disrespectful and inconsistent,” she told Romea.cz when asked to comment on the statement from the Director-General of the Labor Offices.

“The Labor Office treats everybody the same irrespective of their sex, religious affiliation or nationality. The Labor Office has already, through the Office of the Government, informed the Regional Romani Coordinators in particular about the conditions for receiving aid and about the opportunities which the state is offering to people in need. The conditions are the same for everybody,” said Krištof, who also pointed out the rising number of attempts to defraud the system and the threats of physical attack being made toward bureaucrats in the Labor Offices.

“Unfortunately, our staffers are starting to encounter more and more attempts at fraud, in which some people who were not affected by the flooding at all are applying for the maximum amount of CZK 72,900 [EUR 2900]. Unfortunately, we have also encountered threats of physical attacks toward our people, which we are addressing directly with the Police of the Czech Republic. Labor Office staffers have been working full-time at their branch offices and in the field since the weekend before last and deserve gratitude, not defamation and attacks,” Krištof told news server Romea.cz.

Fuková: A lack of clear information is complicating aid applications

Fuková warned that there is a lack of clear information about the aid application process and about the work of what have been called the “mobile teams” of bureaucrats from the Labor Office. “It does not help the situation that in some places there is a lack of information about how much aid can be applied for, or that most applicants will not be eligible for the maximum amount. In other places, it is unclear whether the men and women of these mobile teams of bureaucrats are out in the field, or whether they are sitting in the local authority,” Fuková said after discussing the situation with Regional Romani Coordinators, representatives of ministries and representatives of nonprofit organizations, and said she has also warned representatives of the Labor Offices of the problematic situation.

Krištof stressed that currently his office’s priority is to provide aid as fast as possible to those who have lost all their resources in the floods.

“For us, the priority is to provide the fastest possible aid to those people who have been left without any resources whatsoever. At the same time, from the beginning of the floods we have repeatedly publicized the information that the amount of the Exceptional Immediate Aid benefit can be as high as CZK 72,900 [EUR 2900] per affected household,” the director of the Labor Offices said.

According to Krištof, this is a one-time aid benefit that is not intended to replace insurance payouts and that is also not a loan. However, the amount of the support depends on the extent of the damages and on the conditions in the specific locality, with the proviso that the maximum amount is not automatically given to everybody. “That is the upper limit, the amount provided can be less than that,” he explained.

The Labor Office is trying to assess each application as quickly as possible and its staffers are being sent to the affected areas on the basis of agreements with local authorities and rescue services. “We have been repeatedly warning that staffers from the Labor Office of the Czech Republic will handle each application according to the specific conditions in that location,” Krištof said, adding that the mobile teams assess the situation in person on the spot.

The extent of the damages impacts the amount of support

The extent of the damages differs from place to place, which impacts the amount of Exceptional Immediate Aid to be provided. Krištof gave specific examples: “In Opava, many buildings were completely flooded and the apartments on the first floor, for example, are totally destroyed. In other areas, ‘just’ the basements were flooded, the apartments on the upper floors were not submerged, their owners still have a place to live, etc. We are taking all of that into account.“

At the same time, the Labor Office, according to the director, has simplified the process for applying so that flood victims can receive the aid as quickly as possible. “Our people have been doing their best to assist the people affected as quickly as possible, they are helping them fill out the forms, and we have simplified everything as much as possible,” Krištof said.

The Labor Office director emphasized that despite these efforts to provide aid as quickly as possible, the Labor Office must follow the rules when handling applications. “We are bound by the law and as a state body we must uphold the basic rules,” he told news server Romea.cz.