Protests are mounting in the Czech Republic over the planned abolition of the broadcasting licence fee and associated spending cuts.
Representatives of staff at the country's public service radio and television broadcasters have announced a one-day strike in Prague for next Monday.
They said they had no other option, as the government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš had ignored all calls for an objective debate. It was not immediately clear how the strike would affect the programming of the public service broadcasters.
On Monday, the right-wing Cabinet agreed a draft bill providing for the abolition of the current broadcasting licence fees. The Czech Parliament has yet to give its approval.
In future, public service radio and television broadcasters are to be funded directly from the state budget. Critics see this as an attack on their independence from political influence.
The reform would also be accompanied by significant spending cuts. Radio and television are set to receive around 15% less funding next year than previously planned, Culture Minister Oto Klempíř has said.
The Czech Republic is governed by a coalition comprising the right-wing populist ANO party led by billionaire Babiš and two small parties on the far right of the political spectrum.
The Czech Republic’s president, Petr Pavel, has criticized the plans. He said he could see nothing in the current system of broadcasting licence fees that was not working and needed to be changed.
If parliament approves the legislation, Pavel could veto it. Such a veto could only be overturned by an absolute majority of lawmakers.
Currently, every household in the Czech Republic pays 55 koruna ($2.64) a month for radio and 150 koruna ($7.20) for television.
