Government to make concession on salary scales

The government may delay its plan to change the salary scales according to which employees in the public sphere are paid, Social Affairs Minister Jaromír Drábek said on Wednesday following talks with trade union leaders. The government’s concession comes in the wake of a massive anti-government demonstration on Tuesday when 40,000 people took to the streets to protest against 10 percent salary cuts for public sector employees in 2011 and an overhaul of the payment system which would have reduced fixed salaries and increased bonuses for performance. Trade union organizations will meet later today to decide whether the concession is enough to stop further anti-government protests.