Government raises minimum wage by 45 crowns to 8,000

The government has decided to raise the minimum wage by 45 crowns to 8,000 crowns per month as of next year. Labour Minister Petr Necas says the decision was a compromise between the demands of the trade unions that called for an increase to 8,500 crowns, and the employers who insisted on the minimum wage being frozen at its current level. Mr Necas said that higher minimum wages would reduce employment opportunities for people with a low qualification. Trade union representatives say the current government's policy will result in further deepening of the gap between low- and high-income groups.