<div>The trade union house in Prague's Žižkov district is for sale.</div>

Prague - Trade unions today announced a public competition for the sale of the Trade Unions House (DOS) in Prague's Žižkov. The building has a capacity that far exceeds the current needs of the unions, which utilize about 20 percent of the office space. According to them, the costs associated with owning the protected heritage building are significant. Jiří Bulan, the administrative director of the Asset, Administrative and Delimitation Union of Trade Unions (MSDU OS), informed ČTK about this today.

The decision to sell the building on Winston Churchill Square was made in the middle of last year. The trade unions, which are currently renting the DOS, will have a two-year protection period after the sale to find a new headquarters.

"The decision and the reasons leading to the sale of the building are fully in the competence of MSDU OS. I believe that we will agree on serious rental conditions with the potential new owner, as we have until now," stated Josef Středula, the leader of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (ČMKOS), to ČTK. The confederation, which encompasses 29 unions, is based in the building. According to Středula, the trade union center is not part of MSDU OS and does not have the ability to influence the decision-making of the asset union as the owner.

MSDU OS was established in 1990 to manage assets after the demise of the socialist unions ROH (Revolutionary Trade Union Movement). It rents and operates office buildings in Prague and Ostrava, as well as hotels and guesthouses in many locations across the country. It also manages land, commercial spaces, and apartments. The union is an association of twenty unions.

"By selling the DOS building, MSDU OS fulfills its mission, with which it was established in 1990 - to delimit the assets of the former ROH to the newly formed trade unions, successors of ROH," stated Jakub Souček, the chairman of the largest Czech trade union KOVO.

The announced public competition concerns three interconnected buildings, including the built-up land and two additional neighboring plots that form a park in front of the FC Viktoria Žižkov stadium. MSDU OS is accepting bids from interested parties until May 4. The union is expected to decide on the new owner in the coming months. The terms of the competition can be found on its website.

The Trade Unions House originally emerged as a General Pension Institute. The functionalist building was constructed from 1932 to 1934. In 1951, it began to be taken over by the Central Council of Trade Unions, and in 1990 it was transferred from ROH's assets to the newly established trade unions. It has been protected as a heritage site since 1968. Currently, it comprises 31,000 square meters of floor space, of which 12,000 square meters are offices.