Labour Relations in the Public Services in the Czech Republic

Citizen associations, trade unions and the Tripartite are the major mediators and interest-representing bodies in the Czech Republic outside political parties. Trade unions are highly centralized and only bargain and conclude collective agreements on behalf of employees. Since 1998 trade unions have demonstrated efforts to rely less on the Tripartite and utilize the legal provision on collective bargaining. Within the public administration and services we can find only a very limited range of issues that can be bargained collectively. Foremost this applies to the most sensitive area – remuneration. The trade unions in public administration and services united in the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions established a system of regular negotiation with the government aimed to reach agreements in wage-increase, the extension of the pay grades scale and wage valorization. Negotiations are always carried out prior to final budget approval