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The tripartite council of government representatives, employers and trade unions will cooperate on Czech activities in the European Union aimed at halting the ETS 2 emissions trading system, Labour and Social Affairs Minister Aleš Juchelka (ANO) said at a press conference after Monday’s meeting. Representatives of industry and employees are expected to prepare detailed sector-by-sector analyses of the system’s impacts for the government by the end of January, said Jan Rafaj, president of the Confederation of Industry and Transport. The government wants to use the materials to strengthen its arguments in negotiations at EU level, Juchelka said.

In addition to ETS 2, the tripartite council also discussed the situation surrounding the draft state budget and the policy statement of the new government. No agreement was reached between the government and trade unions on wage growth. Unions are calling for a nine-percent increase in pay scales from January for lower-paid professions and a six-percent rise for other employees. Talks are to continue on January 26.

Frankfurt am Main International Airport cancelled around 100 flights on Monday due to snowfall and freezing temperatures. The disruptions also affected connections with Prague.

According to the websites of Frankfurt and Prague airports, two flights between the cities were cancelled. A flight scheduled to depart Prague at 07:35 did not take off, while the corresponding service from Frankfurt at 08:45 was also cancelled. Travelers are advised to follow developments on the respective airport's website.

A 35-year-old temperature record was broken on Monday in Hliniště, in the South Bohemian part of the Šumava mountains. Meteorologists measured minus 30.2 degrees Celsius, 0.2 degrees lower than the previous record set in 1991, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute.

Freezing weather and snow caused rail disruptions in many parts of the country, including Prague. Several passenger trains did not run from Prague’s Radotín to Smíchov station, and one passenger service was cancelled due to a frozen switch in Děčín, according to Czech Railways.

From Monday evening, freezing rain is expected to create ice in the western half of the Czech Republic, spreading eastward on Tuesday. In a belt stretching from northwestern Bohemia through central Bohemia to southwestern Moravia, ice thickness could reach two to five millimeters, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said. Injuries and transport complications are expected.

The tripartite council of government representatives, trade unions and employers will meet on Monday for the first time in the current electoral term. The agenda includes the government’s policy statement, the draft state budget for this year and emissions allowances.

After the meeting, further talks are scheduled in the evening between cabinet representatives and union leaders on public sector pay rises. Trade unions are demanding a nine percent increase this year for lower-paid workers and civil servants, and a six percent rise for others.

The government rejected the EU’s ETS2 emissions trading system at its first meeting on 16 December and asked Czech MEPs to seek allies against it.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš earlier signaled that the salaries of teachers, police officers, soldiers, civil servants and other state employees will rise from January, despite Czechia entering the year on a provisional budget.