Trade unionists and government negotiators failed yesterday to reach an agreement on a pay rise in the public sector from September. The unions rejected the ministers’ proposal to raise the base pay of some low-paid professions by 3 or 5%, public sector unions’ spokesman Pavel Bednar told media after the talks.
The union leaders described the government’s proposal as extortionate and said they will now discuss what to do next.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) told reporters that it was the unions’ fault that the lowest-paid professions would not get a pay rise from September.
The unions demanded a 15% increase in base pay for all workers from September, in stages.
The Labour and Social Affairs Ministry originally proposed raises for about half of public sector workers from next month, either by 7 or 10%.
On Tuesday, PM Petr Fiala (ODS) repeated his argument that there is no money in the government’s budget reserves for such a rise this year, but the coalition has agreed to increase salaries from January.
Labour Minister Marian Jurecka (KDU-CSL) told a press conference after the talks yesterday that he regretted the unions having rejected the government’s 3-5% proposal, which he described as a “compromise”. From January 2025, he added, “we will continue to negotiate on base pay settings. We will reckon with raising the volume of salaries by 5%,” i.e. about CZK 20 billion.
“We arrived in expectation of an agreement. Unfortunately, the government offered us such an option that no agreement was struck. We had to refuse,” said Bednar.
Salary scales in the public sector are set by five tables. Civil servants have their own table.
The Labour Ministry originally proposed to adjust two scales, the one with the lowest salaries and the state one, from September. This would raise the base pay of about 359,900 clerks, cultural workers, technical workers in social services and health care, non-teaching staff in education and about 70,400 state employees. The remaining roughly half of the 846,300 people who work in the public sector would have a pay rise starting in January.
Jurecka said the latest proposal would apply to about 348,000 people. On average, the first group would see their base pay rise by about CZK 925 a month and the second group by CZK 870.
Fiala blamed the unions for the lack of agreement. “[The offer] would improve the position of the lowest paid professions, I would consider that right. But nothing will happen this way as the unions have rejected it,” he said at a press conference in Brno. “The lowest-paid groups will not see their base pay increased this year, it is the responsibility of the unions who have not been able to reach an agreement.”
According to union leaders, the ministers’ proposals for different raises for different groups of workers would further deform the wage structure, especially for those with the lowest salaries.
Public sector union leaders will meet on Tuesday next week to discuss further steps. Eight of the 13 members of the Confederation of Trade Unions (CMKOS) are on strike alert. Several unions have previously called for protests.
