Prague – Chairmen and chairwomen of public sector trade unions will discuss strike preparedness today. They are considering announcing it due to the fact that they do not yet have an agreement with the government on salary increases for this year and next year. He will then announce his decision at a press conference. Unions are demanding an addition to tariffs of at least ten percent for everyone in the public sector from September. Minister of Labor Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL) said last week, when asked by ČTK, that he wants to submit a draft regulation to the government with an increase in earnings in the range of seven to ten percent from September for part of the public sector and civil servants. The others could then get added from January.
Salaries in the public sector are determined by five tables with individual tariffs according to expertise and length of experience. Jurečka wants to propose an amendment to the first table for civil servants, workers in culture, technical workers in social services and health care, or non-teaching staff in education, as well as an addition for people in the civil service. According to the head of the Department of Labor, a debate on the addition of other workers should follow, starting in January. Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) has already said that during the preparation of the budget for next year, an adequate salary increase will also be discussed.
846,300 people work in the public sector. Of these, according to the first table, 359,900 receive earnings and 70,400 are state employees. Unions are demanding an addition to tariffs of at least ten percent for everyone in the public sector from September. They originally asked for a 15 percent increase. According to the Ministry of Labour, this would cost 22 billion crowns by the end of the year. Seven billion crowns would be needed to grow by five percent.
An increase in tariffs in the lowest table by five percent they suggested to the government before the union and the confederation of employers’ unions, already since April of this year. They pointed out that roughly half of the tariffs in this table are below the minimum or guaranteed wage and that it is difficult to recruit and retain employees under such conditions. After a tripartite board meeting at the end of June, employer representatives said they would be in favor of a seven percent increase from September.
CR wages unions administration protest OTVÍRÁK
Source: www.ceskenoviny.cz
