* Unions might accept cuts, but no tariff changes
* No plans for an overall strike, partial ones possible
By Robert Mueller and Roman Gazdik
PRAGUE, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Czech unions may accept a
proposed public sector wage cut as long as the government does
not replace the seniority-based pay system with a merit-based
one, the head of the largest labour group said.
Police, healthcare workers and others in the roughly
700,000-strong state workforce have called a mass protest for
Sept. 21, the first public test of government plans to cut the
deficit, including a 10 percent reduction in the overall state
wage bill. []
Jaroslav Zavadil, whose Czech-Moravian Confederation of
Trade Unions (CMKOS) represents about half a million people in
the Czech Republic's 3.8 million employees, said the protest may
only be a warm-up to bigger demonstrations expected when the
cabinet rolls out reforms in the pension system next year.
"When I look at the decrease of overall spending on wages, I
would say it might be acceptable for some of the unions in
question, as long as the tariff system stays unchanged," he
said.
The September demonstration will be a rare show of public
discontent in the Czech Republic and coincides with industrial
action elsewhere across the European Union by labour groups
angry at tough belt-tightening measures hitting state workers.
Still, the three-party, centre-right Czech coalition has
political capital to spare after sweeping May elections on
pledges to fight corruption, cut spending to lower the deficit,
and reform the bloated welfare, health and pension systems.
Although the Czech Labour Ministry aims to cut overall wage
spending on state employees, unions here are not entirely
against the plan as long as it does not eliminate a
long-observed practice of consistent pay hikes.
Unions fear that a proposed change to introduce a
merit-based, flexible pay system could slash salaries by tens of
percent as employers would have a free hand with the flexible
part of the payroll where no clear rules apply.
Zavadil said there is no large strike looming at the moment,
but that could change.
"Nobody talks about a strike (at the CMKOS) at the moment...
It is to be expected, though, that when we start to talk about
the pension reform, which I regard as the most important, then
we may see great clashes," Zavadil said.
He said he would rather the cabinet cracked down on tax
evasion or suspicious state tenders rather than chose the
easiest path of cuts that hurt mainly those on lower incomes.
"I think that this government will side with the rich and it
will go after those who carry the whole economy with their taxes
-- the employees, those tax mules," Zavadil said.
(Editing by Hugh Lawson)
