Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs

PhDr. Vladimir Spidla

      Mr.Spidla graduated from the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, majoring in history and prehistory. In the period of "normalization", he took up diverse blue-collar jobs (e.g., as a scene-shifter, a worker in a wood-processsing plant, and in a dairy). He was late employed as a clerk in the Culture Department of the Jindrichuv Hradec District National Committee, an archeologist in the District Museum of the same town, and an industrial plant worker. In 1990 Mr.Spidla became Vice-Chairman of the Jindrichuv Hradec District National Committee responsible for education, health care and social affairs; between 1991 and 1996 he served as Director of the local Labour Office. Without party affiliation before 1989, Mr.Spidla is one of the founding members of the CSSD Social Democratic Party, serving successively since 1996 as its spokesman for labour and social affairs, chairman of its regional organization in South Bohemia, and statutory Vice-Chairman of the CSSD.