Czech President Miloš Zeman in favor of increasing minimum wage to at least 15,000 crowns monthly

Prague, Nov 14 (CTK) – President Miloš Zeman is for the minimum monthly wage in Czechia to rise to 15,000 crowns at least, Labour and Social Affairs Minister Jana Malacova said after her talks with Zeman today, shortly before the Tripartite body meeting that is to deal with the issue on Monday.

The Tripartite, or the Council for Economic and Social Agreement, is a body comprising representatives of the government, trade unions and employers, its task being to help secure social harmony.

The minimum wage stands at 13,350 crowns now.

Trade unions demand its increase by 1,650 crowns at least, while employers offer a 700-crown increase.

The Labour and Social Affairs Ministry has drafted three variants of a possible increase by 1,150, 1,350 or 1,650 crowns. If the Tripartite failed to reach a consensus, the final decision would be up to the cabinet, in which Malacova represents the Social Democrats (CSSD), the junior partner of PM Andrej Babis’s ANO movement.

Malacova said she is for the number two variant, which is an increase by 1,350 crowns to 14,700, but said Zeman would welcome a minimum wage increase to 15,000 crowns at least, which is the sum demanded by the unions.

“I am very happy about it,” she said after meeting Zeman.

In the 10.5-million Czech Republic, minimum wage is earned by 150,000 people, she said.

If increased by 1,650 crowns, the minium wage would reach an equivalent of 41.6 percent of the average wage in the country.

If increased by 1,350 or 1,150 crowns, it would reach 40.8 or 40.2 percent of the average wage, respectively.

The increase would cost the employers from three to 4.3 billion crowns, depending on the chosen variant.