Incoming finance minister planning public sector pay freeze

The man set to become finance minister in an interim Czech government is planning a public sector pay freeze next year, according to press reports on Wednesday. Eduard Janota’s proposal contradicts a decision this week by the outgoing government to increase salaries in the state sphere by 3.5 percent in 2010. Mr Janota, who like the rest of a caretaker cabinet should be appointed on Friday, is also planning only a slight increase in old-age pensions, which will rise by only CZK 230 a month.