PM says government will not succumb to pressure from trade unions

Prime Minister Petr Fiala has said his government will not succumb to pressure from trade unions to water down the austerity package aimed at slashing the country’s growing state deficit. Following four hours of talks with trade union leaders on Monday the prime minister denounced the union’s strike alert as “irresponsible”. He said the government was open to arguments and was ready to make minor alterations to the package, such as reviewing individual discontinued subsidies, but stressed that this must not affect the overall volume of the planned cuts.