On 29 September 2026, Minister of the Interior Lubomír Metnar (ANO) announced after negotiations with trade unions in Prague that the salaries of police officers, firefighters, customs officers and members of the Prison Service are to increase by CZK 2,600 to 2,900 per month each year over the next three years.[1][2][3]
Details of the Plan
According to the minister, the tariff component of salaries is to increase by CZK 1,300 per year. The stabilization allowance is to rise by the same amount each year, and the remaining CZK 300, according to the Ministry of the Interior, is to go toward above-tariff components, such as standby duty or overtime. By 2029, salaries should increase by up to CZK 8,700, according to Metnar. The ministry wants the starting salary of police officers and firefighters after completing basic training to reach CZK 50,000 by the beginning of 2029, and aims for an average salary exceeding CZK 65,000 per month.[1][3][4]
Metnar said that the negotiations with the unions had been long but constructive. He considers dividing the money between the tariff and the stabilization allowance to be fairer than a flat increase in tariffs, which the unions are demanding. He told reporters that the situation was very unlikely to change further.[1][3]
Other Components of the 2027 Budget
According to the minister, the number of police officers is to increase by 1,500 to 43,000, and the number of firefighters by around a hundred, which, according to Petr Ošlejšek, Director General of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, is the first such increase in three years. Cybersecurity funding is to rise by CZK 240 million, and funding for volunteer firefighters by CZK 50 million. The fire service plans to build three new stations, for example in Přerov, Jablonné, and Šluknov.[3][4]
Reactions
The Union of Security Forces disagrees with the model. According to the union, the fixed amount of CZK 1,300 does not even represent a five percent increase in tariff for most members, and for more experienced ones it is often only two to three percent. The union states that trade unions are demanding a ten percent increase in base tariffs. Its chairman, Aleš Lehký, said that the unions want to request negotiations with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Minister of Finance Alena Schillerová (both ANO).[3][4]
Former Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan (STAN) stated on Czech Television that the previous government had already announced the same salary growth, and that the medium-term outlook had counted on a five percent annual increase in tariffs, i.e., roughly CZK 2,900.[1]
Related entries: Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, Lubomír Metnar, Ministry of the Interior
Government-Union Agreement of 12 October 2026
On 12 October 2026, following negotiations between trade unions and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) and other government representatives, Minister of the Interior Lubomír Metnar (ANO) announced that in 2027 members of the security corps will receive an additional CZK 2,400 added to their tariffs, with a further CZK 500 to cover overtime and standby duty. The increase applies to police officers, firefighters, customs officers, and members of the Prison Service of the Czech Republic.[5][6]
The original proposal envisaged a CZK 1,300 increase in tariffs, the same amount added to the stabilization allowance, and CZK 300 for other salary components; at the end of September, Metnar had stated that salaries were to grow by CZK 2,600 to 2,900 over three years. The unions disagreed, arguing that a fixed amount does not take into account the tariff class or length of service, and that the stabilization allowance could be reduced or withdrawn, is not counted toward severance pay or the service pension contribution, and does not apply during periods of illness.[5][6]
The unions had originally demanded a CZK 2,600 increase in tariffs but backed down from this demand due to the cost to the state budget. For the coming year they had demanded a ten percent increase; according to them, the current increase amounts to about eight percent in the lower tariff classes and will also raise the hourly rate for overtime and standby duty. They described the agreement as a compromise and good news for members of the security corps.[5]
Metnar said that this was a compromise and the maximum that could be achieved. The agreement applies to 2027, and he wants to continue negotiating with the unions on how the increase will be structured in subsequent years; he guarantees a three-year increase so that the starting salary of newly recruited police officers, after completing basic training, will reach CZK 50,000. According to Novinky.cz, salaries should increase by up to CZK 8,700 by 2029, and civilian employees of the police and fire services are to receive an additional CZK 4,000 to 6,000. Minister of Justice Jeroným Tejc (for ANO) said that, on average, members with the lowest salaries would benefit most from the fixed-amount increase, and that he was essentially satisfied with the agreement.[5][6]
Chronology
- — The General Inspectorate of Security Forces has launched criminal proceedings against a Customs Administration officer at the Prague airport, suspecting him of accepting at least twenty bribes from importers of goods from Vietnam; he faces up to ten years in prison. Pražská Drbna Novinky.cz
- — Police officers, firefighters and other members of the security forces are to receive an extra 2,400 crowns in their pay scales in 2027, following an agreement between the trade unions and the government. ČTK / České noviny Novinky.cz
- — Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar announced that the salaries of police officers, firefighters, customs officers and prison service staff will increase annually by 2,600 to 2,900 crowns per month between 2027 and 2029. ČTK / České noviny ČTK / České noviny
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny
- ČT24
- Deník.cz
- Novinky.cz
- ČTK / České noviny — 12 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 12 October 2026