Prague, Sept 8 (CTK) – Ministries and offices cannot provide any money from their expenditures on the rise on the salaries of teachers and other civil service employees, Czech Finance Minister Ivan Pilny (ANO) told journalists on Friday.
On the contrary, they have asked the Finance Ministry in total for another 33 billion crowns. Along with the demand to have the salaries increased, the 2018 budget deficit would be inflated up to 100 billion crowns from the proposed 50 billion, Pilny said.
“At the time of a record economic growth, I do not want and cannot sign such a deficit,” he added.
When asked by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD), all the ministries said they could not cut any costs to the benefit of teachers’ salaries, Pilny said.
“Not even Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek (CSSD) who promised to give 15-20 percent on teachers’ salaries from his budget,” Pilny said.
“On the contrary, apart from Justice Minister Robert Pelikan and Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Belobradek, all ministers have excessive demands, demanding 33 billion crowns more in total,” Pilny said.
On Tuesday, the trade unions of school employees declared strike alert, demanding a 15-percent increase in salaries for teachers.
The public sector trade unions, representing clerks, medical staff, firefighters, police officers and other professions, supported the higher salaries for teachers.
Sobotka supported the demanded pay rise.
Sobotka said earlier the money on the pay rise could be transferred from the unspent expenditures of ministries. On September 4, their sum amounted to 103 billion crowns, according to the data of the Finance Ministry.
However, their major part is to be spent on co-financing of projects from EU funds, already approved investments and expenditures.
The government will start the debate on the budget bill on Monday.
The Finance Ministry has proposed a budget with a deficit of 50 billion crowns.