Despite concessions from the authorities, thousands still want to demonstrate against low salaries

Czech police officers have threatened weeks-long protests over stagnating salaries, after claiming that government concessions on the issue are insufficient.

Two trade unions representing members of the police force, the larger NOSP and the smaller UBS, intend to demonstrate for at least one working week, starting September 16, over the government’s failure to deliver on a promise to boost wages by 10%. 

“We are also thinking about extending the protest for another week or two, and it could easily last even a month,” NOSP President Tomas Machovic told the media last week.

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On Friday, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan announced that the cabinet plans to increase police force salaries by 5% annually for the next three years.

Machovic said the offer was good and that his union had voted not to protest, although the UBS, which has roughly 6,500 members, disagreed. Its chairman, Ales Lehky, said on Tuesday that members would still take action “at some point in the next month.” He claimed that many officers represented by the NOSP would rather go ahead with the planned strike than take the government’s deal.

The Czech Republic has donated some $300 million worth of weapons to Ukraine since the escalation of hostilities with Russia in February 2022, the EU country’s Defense Ministry reported in July. Prague has already seen several massive demonstrations demanding an end to the country’s military support for Kiev.