Prague, July 26 (CTK) – The Czech monthly gross minimum wage, on the further increase of which representatives of the government, employees and trade unions did not agree on Monday, was paid to 115,000 people, or about 3 percent of the employees, in 2015, Labour Ministry spokesman Petr Sulek told CTK on Tuesday.
Last year, the monthly minimum wage was 9200 crowns. In January, it was increased to 9900 crowns.
The centre-left government of Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) pledged to raise the minimum wage to the level of 40 percent of the average monthly gross salary.
In the first quarter of the year, the average salary was 26, 480 crowns a month. This means that the minimum wage should be 10,592 crowns. In the last quarter of 2015, the average salary was 28,142 crowns, and 40 percent of the sum is 11,257 crowns.
Labour Minister Michaela Marksova (CSSD) wants the minimum wage to go up to 11,000 crowns next year. The trade unions demand that it reach 11,500 crowns, while the employers say more than 10,600 crowns is unacceptable for them. It is the government that will decide on the issue.