Morning News: Wednesday, November 16, 2022

The salaries of Czech soldiers are due to increase by 10 percent from the start of next year, under a Ministry of Defence proposal that has just been submitted for comments. There were just under 27,000 soldiers in the Czech Army at the start of this year.

Shops will open normally on 17 November. The law restricting sales on certain holidays in large stores has been in force since 2016, yet some customers are still unsure about opening hours before national holidays. 17 November is the Day for Freedom and Democracy in the Czech Republic, but stores can open without restrictions, regardless of the area of the shop floor.

From Thursday to Sunday, metro operation on line C between Pražského povstání and Florenc stations will be interrupted due to line repairs. An alternative XC bus service will be introduced in the affected section. Passengers on the A-line will also have to consider a partial service interruption.

The Ministry of Health plans to change the function of the Tečka application, which originally served as proof of vaccination against Covid-19. Officials want to turn the app, which has been downloaded by over six million people, into an electronic ID card containing patients’ medical documentation.

Czech real wages fell almost 10% in the second quarter, according to the latest data, and some central bankers see diminishing risks of a wage-inflation spiral. The central bank has forecast nominal wages to rise 6.3% in 2022 and 7.7% in 2023, but to fall 9.4% and 1.2%, respectively in real terms.