The proposition submitted by the minister of labour and social affairs has been passed by the government. It will come into force January 1^st, 2018 and thus, from this date, the minimum wage will increase from the current CZK 11 000 to CZK 12 200; as for hourly wage it will increase from CZK 66 per hour to CZK 73.20 per hour.  Among the member states of the European Union only Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, and Bulgaria currently have lower minimal wages than this.