Unions, employers demanding prolongation of Antivirus

The temporary programme Antivirus with contributions to salaries should be prolonged by another two months or till the end of the year, the leader of the CMKOS trade union, Josef Stredula, and vice-president of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic Jan Rafaj told journalists.

According to the Chamber of Commerce, the government should also think of pardoning compulsory social payments to small companies. Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) told the Monday congress of the businesspeople that the decision on the prolongation of Antivirus and introduction of kurzarbeit would be soon made.

He wants to discuss the lockdown measures with heads of parties on Thursday. "It is certain that Antivirus will have to be prolonged. It will function until a system instrument takes effect," Rafaj said. It is difficult to say until when and in what form the program Antivirus should stay, he added.

Stredula said the Antivirus should be prolonged till the end of the year for two reasons. The Chamber of Deputies should have enough time for preparing new legislation in this respect and businesspeople should be sure of support at the time of the second coronavirus wave. The government has several times prolonged Antivirus, most recently in August, when it was to wind up.

Source: ČTK