PRIVATIZATION - The government is expecting to receive around 5 billion Kč ($212 million) for its stake in jet maker Aero Vodochody, Euro reported Feb. 5. Nine suitors submitted bids in the privatization of Aero Vodochody in January. The deadline for submitting final offers is April, and the government will finalize the deal by May.

TOLL - A consortium that charged discrimination after being eliminated from a tender to supply an electronic toll system on Czech roads will appeal Feb. 9 the government's recent decision not to cancel the bid. In late January, the Anti-Monopoly Office rejected charges by the Mytia consortium and Autostrade that conditions of the tender were unfair.

LABOR - Vladimír Špidla, European Union labor commissioner, is expected to issue a report Feb. 8 that says restricting the free movement of workers from the 10 accession countries to old EU member states strengthens the black labor market. During the past month, the Cabinet and other regional governments have stepped up pressure on old EU countries to open their markets to workers from this region.

SALARIES - The Senate rejected a proposal Feb. 3 that would require publicly held companies to disclose the salaries and bonuses of individual managers. Many companies do not even want to disclose the combined salaries of their top managers.

STEEL - Czech steel production fell 10 percent to 6.2 million metric tons in 2005 compared with 2004. Production declined because the price of steel dropped in the first half of 2005. The Czech steel industry is currently undergoing restructuring, with staff numbers at steel companies falling 8.5 percent last year.

WAGES - The average monthly salary in Prague pushed the national average up more than 1,800 Kč in 2005, according to the Czech Statistical Office. The average monthly salary in the Czech capital was 18,421 Kč. Outside of Prague, it was 16,545 Kč. A high concentration of foreign investors is one of the reasons salaries are higher in Prague.

RETAIL - Sales at the 10 largest retail chains, including Makro Cash & Carry and Kaufland, grew 11 billion Kč ($467.5 million) to 226 billion Kč in 2005, according to an analysis released by Incoma Research Feb. 1. Revenue increased 5.2 percent and sales were up 16 percent.

HONEY - Domestic honey production rose 8 percent to approximately 8,400 tons in 2005, the highest output in the past five years, according to the Czech Beekeepers Association. The record year comes in the face of speculation that cheap honey imports from China would threaten the Czech market.