Police unions are planning protests over their demand for a pay rise of at least 10% in front of the Government Office, the Interior Ministry and the Justice Ministry ahead of the Czech regional elections on 20-21 September, according to reports from Pravo on Friday.
Tomas Machovic, leader of the Independent Czech Police Trade Union, said the first of the planned protests will take place during the week before the regional elections or in the previous week, but it will not be a single protest. “We have no deadline saying that the long-term protest action will be a week, a fortnight or a month, that is, when the protests will end,” he warned.
“We don’t expect tens of thousands of people to be there, but enough members of the police and firefighting corps, prison service and other forces to peacefully demonstrate that we are serious about security,” Machovic said.
Negotiations between the trade unions and Interior Minister Vit Rakusan (STAN) on 22 August will be important. If they do not reach an agreement with Rakusan, or if the minister fails to convince the cabinet, the police will launch ongoing protests, Machovic said.
Ales Lehky, leader of the Union of Security Forces, told Pravo that the unions are considering a week-long wave of protests. He also mentioned the possibility of police officers not arriving at work in larger numbers due to “illness”.
In January, Minister Rakusan said he plans to increase spending on the salaries of security forces by 10% in the autumn. However, ministers do not expect this to happen from October, about which the unions have expressed dissatisfaction.
Last week, the government approved the increase of the Interior Ministry’s budget by CZK 1.95 billion. Rakusan then said that the money will help ensure the smooth functioning of the police and firefighters.
