Union leaders call off transport strike planned for Thursday morning

Transport union leaders have said a five-hour strike planned for Thursday morning will not now go ahead. They said they were calling off the strike because the Chamber of Deputies had on Tuesday given in to their demand to amend a law that had placed workers’ benefits in a higher tax bracket. The Senate is dominated by the right and is not expected to follow the lower house’s lead, which would mean the matter would then return to the Chamber of Deputies. Meanwhile, the Czech president, Václav Klaus, says he will not sign the relevant amendment if it comes before him.

The strike planned for Thursday had originally been set for Monday, before being postponed by union leaders. It was due to last from 4 am to 9 am and would mainly have affected the Czech Republic’s rail network and public transport in some cities.