Czech government agrees public sector wage hike as election nears

FILE PHOTO: Czech Republic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka speaks during the news conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, April 3, 2017. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File Photo

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech public sector wages will rise by at least 10 percent from Nov. 1, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said on Monday as parties gear up for parliamentary elections next month.

Czech wages grew at their fastest pace in a decade in the second quarter, encouraging unions to seek a rise that would give public sector workers a greater share of the spoils from an extended period of strong economic growth.