The unions in the construction industry have once again failed to reach an agreement with employers

Prague - The fourth round of collective bargaining between the OS Stavba and the Union of Entrepreneurs in Construction today did not yield a result. "The main problem is that we have different opinions on the area of vacation length, allowances, and wage tariffs," said Stanislav Antoniv, chairman of OS Stavba, to ČTK. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for January 17.
The unions have been demanding a wage increase of 7.5 percent since the beginning of negotiations, while the Union of Entrepreneurs in Construction initially offered five, but according to Antoniv, it has slightly increased its offer now. "But it's still not enough for us to reach an agreement," he added. The head of the construction unions also emphasized that their demand for wage tariffs is only minimal and that it is possible to go even higher at the level of company collective agreements.
The unionists are also asking for an additional week of vacation in the sectoral collective agreement. They claim that employers have slightly conceded on this point as well. The negotiations between the unions and employers in construction are more complicated this year because a sectoral collective agreement is being negotiated for a full three years.
"The inflation rate has exceeded even our forecasts. If we had known this in the autumn, we would have advised our unions to ask for at least two percent more instead of eight," said Milan Štěch, chairman of the main trade union center, to today's HN. Antoniv admitted that this opinion, along with estimates of higher inflation, has influenced the position of the construction unions during the negotiations. "Under no circumstances will we sign anything that goes below inflation, because that would mean we wouldn't secure even a minimal increase in real wages during a construction boom," noted the chairman of the construction unions.
If the negotiating teams do not reach an agreement in the next round, negotiations will begin directly between the head of the unions and the president of the Union of Entrepreneurs in Construction. According to Antoniv, this situation has only occurred twice so far, but it has always been resolved amicably in the end. The last time this situation occurred was during last year's negotiations.
At the level of individual construction companies, wage negotiations have already been concluded, for example, at Českomoravský cement, where wages are set to increase by seven percent. Starting in the new year, employees at Skanska will see even a 13.5 percent increase in their paychecks. However, this higher increase can be attributed to a change in the wage system, where the so-called fourteenth salary is being incorporated into the regular salary. The conclusion of wage negotiations at Metrostav is expected by the end of January, where the unions are demanding seven to eight percent.
According to the Czech Statistical Office, the average nominal monthly wage in construction increased by 8.6 percent year-on-year in October to 22,922 CZK. The average hourly wage rose by 5.5 percent to 137 crowns.