Czech labour unions said Tuesday that 100,000 civil servants and other state employees plan to join a day-long strike on Wednesday over cuts in public sector salaries, dpa reported
Some 40,000 people are also expected to take to the streets in 21 Czech cities and towns, said Jana Kasparova, a spokeswoman for the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions.
At least 500 schools will remain closed, while many hospitals plan to treat only acute cases, she said.
The three-party, centre-right government of Prime Minister Petr Necas plans to cut public sector wage expenditure by 10 per cent next year as part of its drive to cut the budget deficit.
The cabinet aims for a deficit of 4.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011 and 3 per cent required by the European Union by 2013.
The government has already outraged the unions by pushing through other changes in public sector wages, which would give more flexibility to employers and less security to employees.
State employees' wages would, for example, no longer automatically rise with the number of worked years
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