Ing. Zdeněk Škromach

Born on 31 December 1956 in Hodonín. A skilled electrician by trade, he attended a secondary vocational school of electrical engineering and then the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Brno Technical University. In 1976-1977, he was employed as an electrician in the Hodonín Power Station; until 1980, he was a boiler attendant and plant electrician at a Brno heating plant. Between 1980 and 1989, he worked as a machine tool operator, then as a maintenance supervisor and power engineering specialist at Sigma Hodonín. From December 1989 to July 1996, he was chairman of the OS KOVO metal workers’ trade union at Sigma Hodonín (now JMA s.r.o. Hodonín). In June 1996, Mr Škromach was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament. Between 1998 and 2002, he held the post of Chairman of the Social Policy and Health Care Committee. From April 2000 to May 2001, he was the Chairman of the ČSSD Parliamentary Club at the Chamber of Deputies. From 1993 to 1999, he was a member of the OS KOVO Presidium, from 1994 to 2002 he was a member of the Assembly of the CMK OS Bohemian-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions. Between 1996 and 1999, he held the post of Vice-Chairman of the ČSSD Regional Council for South Moravia; in 1997 - 2000 and again from April 2001 he was Deputy Chairman of the ČSSD. He was the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in Vladímír Špidla’s government between 15 July 2002 and 4 August 2004. Mr Škromach has published many articles in the daily press and in magazines. In his free time he goes in for sport, his hobbies include music and reading history books and science fiction novels. He is married and has a daughter and a son.