The trade unions called for price regulation or a freeze on real wages
Update: 10/8/2022 2:28 p.m
Issued by: 8/10/2022, 1:48 p.m
Prague – The trade unions at the Prague demonstrations called for the introduction of price regulation, to stop the decline in real wages or to nationalize critical infrastructure in the energy sector. According to them, the government must advocate for the protection of low-income groups and the middle class, which are most affected by the current crisis, and preserve social peace. The protest, which lasted about an hour and a half and ended with the national anthem, drew several thousand people, according to police estimates. According to the police, the demonstration was without problems.
The chairman of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions, Josef Středula, told journalists after the demonstration that he did not want to compare the participation in the trade union event with the September protests of opponents of the government. “Exactly those who came wanted came. The demonstration was in no way extremist. We did everything so that anyone who wanted to have something to do with extremism did not come to our demonstration. And I think we did well,” he said.
According to him, the trade union protest showed that the situation in the Czech Republic is not in order. “We are still convinced that the government is not doing enough, that it is slow,” he said. According to her government, they have to save big businesses, the fall would cause a lot of unemployment. Středula also emphasized that holding a protest does not mean the end of negotiations with the government. “We are still dealing with the government, just as we are calling demonstrations. It is a demonstration that is here after ten years. We use these tools very judiciously,” he said.
In a joint statement, the unions called for an end to inflation, which reduces real incomes. According to them, the government should mainly regulate energy, food and fuel prices. “The government must solve the problems before the Czech Republic goes into recession,” said the chairman of the Kovo Trade Union, Roman Ďurčo.
The unions are also demanding an increase in the minimum wage this year by 2,000 crowns to 18,200 crowns. According to them, from January 1, salaries in the public sector should increase by ten percent, and the percentage of sick and nursing pay should increase by 20 percent. The unions are also demanding an increase in social benefits, especially the parental allowance and care allowance.
Ďurčo also called for the nationalization of critical infrastructure in energy and water management, which, according to him, must not be the subject of speculative deals. The state was also supposed to take this step to ensure that people in a difficult situation are not disconnected from energy supplies. “The right to food and the warmth of a home is a human right,” he added.
Unions have also called on the government to back away from measures that could cut taxes. On the contrary, they called for greater tax progress and the preservation of electronic records of sales.
According to the police estimate, several thousand protesters gathered in Wenceslas Square today. Earlier trade union demonstrations had a higher turnout. The largest demonstration organized by trade unionists after 1989, the assembly was called on Saturday 21 April 2012 to protest against the reforms of the cabinet of Petr Nečas (ODS). According to the organizers, up to 150,000 people came to Wenceslas Square to call for the resignation of the government, the police estimated the number of demonstrators at 90,000. Tens of thousands of demonstrators also came to trade union protests in 2007, 2009 and 2011.