Fico: PS Fails to Verify Facts When Critising Gov't Over Askoll Layoffs

Bratislava 28 July (TASR) - There are 140,000 job vacancies in Slovakia, and anyone seeking employment can find work either independently or with the assistance of the relevant labour office, Prime Minister Robert Fico declared on Tuesday. Fico spoke in response to the criticism of the government's economic policy and mass layoffs by the opposition's Progressive Slovakia (PS) party. The prime minister accused PS of "literally celebrating" the planned dismissal of 77 employees at a company near Nove Mesto nad Vahom without verifying the facts and placing full responsibility on the government. "As the prime minister, I firmly reject the policy of Progressive Slovakia, whose aim is to harm Slovakia. PS is greatly mistaken in its belief that such destructive approach will pave its way to government," Fico said. According to the prime minister, the employer has known since May that production is to end but has failed to fulfil its legal obligation to notify the labour office of the planned mass layoffs. He added that the company's Italian management visited the plant in May, dismissed the Slovak management team and handed responsibility for running the business to a human resources employee. Fico pointed out that there are more than 2,000 job vacancies in the Nove Mesto nad Vahom district alone. Fico also rejected claims that the company's difficulties had emerged this year or last year. He said the business employed around 350 to 400 people in 2019, when there was no financial transaction tax, and has been steadily reducing its workforce to only several dozen employees while repeatedly stating its plans to close its Potvorice plant. The prime minister said the company had also faced problems abroad, having previously closed operations in Italy and come under significant pressure from customers to relocate production to China. He said this had been confirmed by the company's founder during a strike by Italian employees in July 2024, when workers were affected by reduced working hours because of falling orders. According to Fico, the company has experienced the same decline in Slovakia, with revenue dropping from €42.5 million in 2022 to €17.5 million in 2025. "It is therefore entirely evident that the Potvorice plant has been downsized over a long period due to declining production volumes, pricing pressure and the international relocation of manufacturing. As prime minister, I will not comment on the fact that the Italian owners chose political agitation instead of responsible cooperation with the Slovak state authorities. Anyone comparing PS's public statements with reality will quickly understand what the opposition is trying to achieve," Fico added. Earlier on Tuesday, PS called on the government to address mass layoffs, which it said have become a worrying trend in Slovakia over the past two years. The party said labour offices were notified of 47 mass layoff procedures during the first half of 2026, putting more than 4,400 jobs at risk. It also highlighted the latest case involving the closure of the Italian-owned Askoll Group plant in the Nove Mesto nad Vahom district, affecting 77 employees. The company has stated that the current government's fiscal consolidation measures had a direct impact on its decision to end production in Slovakia. mf