President would veto a 14 percent salary hike for lawmakers

President Miloš Zeman said on Monday he would veto a proposed 14 percent hike in salaries for lawmakers and executive branch officials as of January 2015 if such a bill were approved. The proposal was put forward by the budget committee of the lower house after it won support from deputies groups across the political spectrum. However it was slammed by the government which is pushing for a significantly lower salary increase. The president, who is on a three day visit to south Moravia, said he considered the proposed 14 percent hike inconsiderate and greedy and said deputies should increase their salaries by 3.5 percent which is the salary hike they approved for workers in the public sector next year.