The ICT sector is a rapidly growing sector that has over the last ten years vastly changed the work scenery in the Czech Republic. A lot of big international companies decided to open centers here and also quite a few Czech companies started and expanded their activities. The salaries they were offering compared to the existing opportunities, appeared attractive which led more and more locals leaping to this promising sector but also a lot of foreigners moving to the Czech Republic in search of better pay and working conditions. This had a ripple effect on multiple aspects of life, with one of the most important ones the enormous raise of rents and the housing crisis in the biggest cities.
But once you take a closer look you will see that this sector is far from perfect. Some positions are well paid, but for the majority of workers, especially in the services and call center companies, we see enormous salary discrepancies. Through our own experience in the sector we have identified a few reasons: a lot of the positions are entry level, meaning they are addressed to people with minimal work experience, who have no experience in negotiation and do not know the value of what they produce. Working the same position but in a different language can make a huge difference in your monthly salary. Gender and age pay gap are also holding strong in the sector. Another paradoxical phenomenon is that new hires with less work experience are getting bigger salaries than employees who have been in the company for years, according to the current market state, and the salary reviews are not done often enough or only for individuals who ask for them. This situation has been perpetuated for years with illegitimate NDAs and instructions on orientation day of the employees that they are not allowed to share their salary with their co-workers.
Our solution to all of the above is one : transparency of pay now! Please read more on this topic and our suggested solutions in our petition below and if you agree, give us your signature. This is an important change not only for our but all sectors of the economy, which we also call to action! If the salary is so competitive, why shouldn’t we as employees be the judges of that?