Prague - The capital of the Czech Republic will soon see what is believed to be one of the biggest trade union protests in history.

"We do not know the exact number of protesters but it will be thousands," head of Czech-Moravian Trade Union Confederation (Českomoravská konfederace odborových svazů - ČMKOS) and Social Democratic senator Milan Štěch said.

"I believe that there will be as many protesters as there were people who came to see Obama," he added optimistically.

The trade union leaders and members want to protest against the economic crisis impact on Prague Hradčanské Square on May 16. A number of private companies, the union members say, abuse the current economic downturn to sack people or lower their salaries.

"A company that made a profit of CZK 10 billion last year announced at a meeting with the trade union that they have to cut down salaries by 5.5 percent," coal mining trade union boss Jan Sábela said about the coal mining company OKD.

Furthermore, the new Labour Code caused outcry among the trade union members. "It [Labour Code] makes employees vulnerable in terms of work and legal rights," said Štěch.

So far the biggest trade union protest took place in mid-March. Farmers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Lithuania came to Prague to protest against the double standard of EU agriculture subsidy policies.

The new member states' farmers received support their "colleagues" from the older EU member states.