Czech school teachers to strike for higher pay raise next Wednesday, November 6

The schools will be closed. Those that will not, will have their operation limited, Seidlova said, adding that due to the support for the strike from the regions, the trade union headquarters have decided to declare the strike.

The head of the Olomouc, North Moravia, school employees regional trade union Eva Hrdlickova, said the attitude of Education Minister Robert Plaga (ANO) was the main reason for the strike.

“This time the amount of the money does not primarily matter. What matters is Plaga’s attitude and the way he negotiates with social partners,” Hrdlickova said.

“One should not proceed in the way we see. One day, there is agreement on something, but everything is different the next day,” she added.

The trade union disagrees with the 8 percent pay rise agreed on by Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) and Plaga earlier this week. The trade unions demand 10 percent.

The government promised that in the autumn of 2021, teachers should see their salaries increase to 150 percent compared to 2017, which would mean 45,000 crowns.

The unions demand that teachers’ salaries rise to the level of 130 percent of the Czech average wage, which was about 32,500 crowns a month, in the first quarter of the year. The average monthly pay of a teacher was over 36,000 crowns.

Plaga says there is no reason for the strike.