Unions brace for Saturday’s demonstration

While trade unions plan a mass demonstration for Saturday, a pro-government commentator remarks that wages have been increasing at an unprecedented pace over the past decade.

Népszava’s Erika Gulyás reports that Saturday’s demonstration is envisaged as a first step towards nationwide strikes to demand the revocation of the recently passed law which increases to 400 the maximum hours of overtime work a year. Further demands include two digit wage increases instead of the 8% hikes offered for this year and 2020.

According to 24.hu, 7000 people have announced their intention to take part in Saturday’s demonstration in Budapest and a further 30,000 say they are interested.

In Magyar Hírlap, Gábor Putsay warns against what he describes as exaggerated wage hikes as they could generate inflation and also because enterprises already find it difficult to pay higher wages after the significant wage increases of the past few years. With the 8% hikes foreseen for the next two years, he writes, minimum wages will be twice as high as they were in 2010.

Tags: demonstrations, strikes, unions