Teachers, policemen, firefighters and politicians will be protected from pay cuts

As a result, this could mean reduced salaries or layoffs. The government expects to reduce the number of employees in government and public administration by more than eleven thousand. Unions fear many civilian employees of the police and support staff working in schools will be affected.

Unions disagreed with the government’s actions, particularly the decline in real wages and salaries. They want a ten percent raise. Last week, the Confederation of Czech-Moravian Trade Unions announced November 27 as a day of protest.

The real income of people working for the state will fall by a fifth between 2021 and 2024 due to endless price increases, union leader Joseph Stretula Brau said. The unions have demanded that the government should increase the salaries of the employees. But the ministers did not make concessions.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Hana Mala confirmed to Prawa that the salaries of police officers and firefighters will not be reduced next year. “The Ministry of Home Affairs has prepared an amendment for the second reading of the state budget. The reduced salaries will be bolstered by the ministry’s operating expenses,” she said. What those would be, she did not specify.

The Austrian minister told parliament’s security committee last week that the interior ministry will add 909.5 million kroner to the salaries of police officers and firefighters from its operating costs next year. Another 18.5 million will be released for volunteer firefighters.

Next year’s reduction in salary funding will not affect teachers. “The government’s commitment to raise their salaries to 130 percent of the average wage in the economy applies,” Finance Ministry spokeswoman Petra Vodstrčilová said yesterday.

However, the new law adopted for this purpose allows the development to be limited. In fact, the Cabinet is counting on the fact that cantors’ salaries will rise by just 113 percent. This year, they should reach an average of about 48,000 crowns. But if directors in many places have to distribute cantors’ bonus money to other employees, they can expect their salaries to increase by not even 113 percent of the average salary paid.

A total of 8.5 billion more will be spent for this. But at the same time, the salaries of non-teaching staff such as cooks, cleaners, janitors or housekeepers are to be cut by two percent. Two percent less money will also be spent on other education workers, including teachers and school psychologists in aides, groups and children’s homes. Savings should represent 3.5 billion crowns.

The ministry should also stop payment of eight thousand unfilled posts of non-teaching staff. As a result, school budgets will lose a total of CZK 3.2 billion. But directors complain that they paid for positions that weren’t accurately filled for extra work for those who had to work even harder to make up for the missing employee.

However, the salaries of top politicians will remain at this year’s level next year. However, a change in their calculation occurred as part of the consolidation package. If the current formula remains in effect, the year-on-year increase in salaries for political representatives will exceed six percent.

Salaries have been reduced in other budget chapters. “The 2024 state budget as a whole expects a two percent year-on-year decrease in the amount of wage funds across chapters,” Vodstrilova said.

In this way, the amount of funds for staff salaries will also be reduced, for example, for the staff of the House of Representatives.

Private ministers are looking for ways to avoid sacking many. According to the draft budget for next year, the number of employees is currently 499,056. 487,668 from job positions should be reduced. I don’t consider this to be the last step by any means. I am sure that we are now focusing on the cancellation of the agenda,” announced the President of the State Treasury Zbyněk Stanjura (ODS) in Prima recently.

The Ministry of Labor says that by canceling vacancies and moving workers within the framework of the programs, the average salary in its sector could increase even slightly, by three to five percent.