Prague, Jan 10 (CTK) – The Czech senior ruling Social Democrats (CSSD) wants to push through a rise in child benefits and paternity leave and focus on aid to the elderly and employees in the government by the October general election, PM and CSSD chairman Bohuslav Sobotka told reporters on Tuesday.
The current cabinet, including also the ANO movement and Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), should use its comfortable majority in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of parliament, and work in full swing until the end of its mandate, he said.
Sobotka called aid to families with children the main priority of his party.
“We have a chance to push through changes that will mean a particular improvement,” he said, citing the proposed possibility to draw parental leave more quickly, rise in child benefits and paternity leave.
A new system of pension indexation, which will better reflect a pay rise, and a lower financial participation in health care for the elderly is supposed to help senior citizens, Sobotka said.
The Social Democrats also want to push through a regulation of job-mediating agencies and increase welfare payments for the long-term ill.
Besides, the CSSD plans a further rise in the minimum wage to support employees.
The CSSD ministers are to help stabilise the health care sector and strengthen security, Sobotka said.
In the government, the CSSD will push for launching the construction of key transport projects and speed up the drawing of finances from European funds.
Labour and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksova (CSSD) plans to push through a regulation on social housing along with a benefit for long-term care.
Health Minister Miloslav Ludvik (CSSD) wants the salaries of Czech nurses in hospitals to rise by 2,000 crowns a month as of July and increase the number of medical students, he said.
Interior Minister Milan Chovanec intends to take the measures recommended by the national security audit, improve work conditions of security forces members and extend the possibilities of Internet communication between citizens and authorities, he said.
Czech diplomacy will focus on peaceful solutions to conflicts in the world that cause the migrant wave and on negotiating the best possible Brexit conditions for Czechs who live in Britain, Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek (CSSD) said.
The Industry and Trade Ministry will support export and upgrade incentives, its head Jan Mladek said.
Education Minister Katerina Valachova said she would focus on the career advancement system for teachers and raising the budget of her sector.
Human Rights Minister Jan Chvojka (CSSD) told reporters that he would like to tackle high unemployment in socially excluded localities and complete an amendment to the insolvency law in cooperation with the Justice Ministry.
