Judiciary employees announce strike action next week

Judiciary sector employees will go on strike from October 7th to the 9th in protest against low wages, their unions announced on Wednesday. Employees in the judiciary have long complained about undignified salaries and work overload and have been on strike alert since May. The unions say they see no option but to strike in view of the unsuccessful negotiations with Justice Minister Pavel Blažek regarding possible salary increases. "The Czech judiciary has long been struggling with problems that threaten the basic working capacity of the entire system. Fundamental underfunding, inadequate staff capacity and work overload are leading to a loss of ability to ensure timely and high-quality performance," the unions said in a statement. Justice Minister Blažek has said he will hold further talks with the unions ahead of the strike.