Government raises minimal wage by 45 crowns to 8,000
The unions wanted the increase to be higher while employers insisted on the wage being frozen at its current level.
The government only rounded up the wage, Necas said adding that the previous Social Democrat-led government radically raised the wage this year.
"The wage was radically raised during this year, a move that was motivated by the forthcoming general election (in June). If the pace continued, certain branches, such as textile industry, would cease to exist," Necas said.
He said that higher minimal wages would threaten mainly jobs for people with a low qualification.
Milan Stech, chairman of the umbrella trade union organisation CMKOS, said on Tuesday that the planned raise by 45 crowns is "one of the first more distinctly anti-employee steps the government [in power since September] has taken."
He said it will result in further deepening of the gap between low- and high-income people.
Trade unions proposed to raise the minimal wage to 8,500 crowns. They said the minimal wage should not drop below 40 percent of the average wage that stood at almost 20,000 crowns in the third quarter this year.
The minimal wage increased twice this year. For the first time it was raised from 7,185 to 7,570 crowns in January, in July it grew to 7,955 crowns.
source: CTK
http://www.ctk.cz/zpravy/anglicke_view.php?id=224632
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