Czech teachers to see an 8-percent increase in base pay next year

Prague, Oct 30 (CTK) – The base pay of Czech teachers will see a boost of 8 percent in 2020 and the remaining money of the agreed-on 10-percent pay rise will be used for their bonuses, PM Andrej Babis and Education Minister Robert Plaga (both ANO) told journalists following a a cabinet meeting yesterday.

The Labour Ministry is to prepare the government resolution on the pay rise for teachers.

The school trade unions, which have declared a strike alert over their demand of a 10 percent rise in the base pay, have withheld comment as they are waiting for the resolution to be released. Union leader Frantisek Dobsik said the 8-percent rise in base pay is lower than what Plaga promised to them.

“There is nothing to negotiate about anymore,” Babis said about possible further talks with the school unions.

Plaga said he agreed on the above rise with Babis after the Friday negotiations with the union leaders.

The government reckons with the pay rise for teachers by 10 percent, or 11 billion crowns. Plaga previously only proposed that the pay rise be the same for all, 2,700 crowns, while the remaining one-fourth was to be used on bonuses.

If there is the 8 percent base pay rise, the monthly base pay would go up from some 1,100 to 3,500 crowns, depending on the length of the employee’s experience and qualification.

The trade unions originally demanded a 15-percent pay rise next year. They later agreed with a 10-percent rise, provided that the whole sum goes to the base pay.

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.

($1 = 23.022 crowns)

kva/dr/bas