Prague, Jan 9 (CTK) – The Czech Interior Ministry wants to raise the salaries of security corps members by 10 percent as from July 1, abolish the 150 mandatory overtime hours annually and introduce a special bonus for new members, minister Milan Chovanec informed the government on Monday.
The salaries of police and firefighters were raised previously by 4 percent as from November.
The ministry hopes the novelties will stabilise the staff of security corps.
“We cannot allow a situation where experienced people would be leaving the police because of low wages,” Chovanec (Social Democrats, CSSD) said, according to the ministry’s press release.
Chovanec has been speaking about an improvement in the working conditions of security corps for some time.
Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (CSSD) also supports an increase in salaries. Trade unionists handed him a petition with 20,000 signatures in December.
The unions want the salaries to increase by more than the proposed 5 percent this year. They also want the staff’s social needs connected with travelling to work, accommodation and meals to be taken into consideration.
Chovanec said in the past he is aware of the problem. He said police leave to work abroad in some regions after one or two years. He also said it is unacceptable that the starting pay of security corps members be 17,000 or 18,000 crowns while a storeman gets some 25,000 crowns.
The police corps has about 40,000 employees and there are more than 9700 professional firefighters.
