Tripartite council to coordinate Czech push in EU against ETS 2 emissions trading

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.