December 6, 2017
Some Slovenian media outlets reported today that the Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency (SOVA) has been on strike since last Friday, which has since been confirmed by the Government Communication Office.
According to reports, the SOVA employees went on strike due to poor working conditions and low salaries. The law grants agents and other SOVA employees the right to strike, limited to those tasks not seen as “important for national security and other state interests described in the first two paragraphs of Article 2” of the Intelligence and Security Agency Act.
SOVA was founded in 1993, and is a civilian agency that operates under the direct control of the Prime Minister, although with oversight by the legislative and judicial branches of government. The agency’s purpose is to protect Slovenian security, political, and economic interests.
