Hungary
Background information on industrial relations in Hungary
- 09 Dec 2004
Hungary: Agreement reached on terms of MATÁV workforce reduction<#PDF_LINK>In September 2004, an innovative agreement was reached by management and employee representative at Hungary's MATÁV telecommunications company on the measures to accompany a major workforce reduction. Under the deal, redundant employees may chose from several options, which will receive relatively generous funding by the company.
- 03 Dec 2004
Hungary: Labour lawyers propose overhaul of Labour Code<#PDF_LINK>In 2003, the Hungarian government and social partners agreed that there was a need for a wide-ranging revision of current labour law. In response, in mid-2004, a group of leading labour law professionals presented a Conceptual paper on the creation of the new Labour Code, which proposes fundamental changes to the framework of labour law. It is unclear at present whether the current government will start legislative work on a new Labour Code during the remainder of its term of office, which expires in 2006.
- 08 Nov 2004
Hungary: European Works Councils - law and practice<#PDF_LINK>This article examines the implementation into Hungarian law of the EU Directive on European Works Councils (EWCs), and the country's experience of EWCs, as of autumn 2004.
- 04 Nov 2004
Hungary: New legislation regulates telework<#PDF_LINK>Successive governments in Hungary have promoted telework as part of their labour market policy, and in May 2004 regulations on telework in an employment relationship were added to the Labour Code. The new rules mainly follow the provisions of the July 2002 framework agreement on telework signed by the EU-level social partners.
- 04 Oct 2004
Hungary: Renewed tensions between public sector unions and government<#PDF_LINK>Although public sector trade unions in Hungary reluctantly agreed to a government offer of a 6% wage increase for 2004, implementation of the agreement in the various subsectors has given rise to disputes during the year. Tensions were further fuelled in August by the announcement of the draft 2005 state budget, which envisages major public administration job cuts.
- 02 Sep 2004
Hungary: Thematic feature - industrial relations and undeclared work<#PDF_LINK>This article gives a brief overview of the industrial relations aspects of undeclared work in Hungary, as of June 2004. It looks at: the nature and extent of undeclared work; the regulatory framework; the role, activities and views of the social partners; and partnerships between social partners and public authorities to tackle undeclared work.
- 28 Jun 2004
Hungary: Thematic feature - individual labour/employment disputes and the courts<#PDF_LINK>This article examines how individual labour/employment disputes are handled through the courts in Hungary, as at March 2004.
- 15 Jun 2004
Hungary: Unified Labour Register comes into operation<#PDF_LINK>A new Unified Labour Register (known as EMMA) came into operation in Hungary on 1 May 2004. The new system, run by the Public Employment Service, contains information on approximately 2.5 million employees and more than 300,000 employers. All employers must now register new employees before they start work and provide information on matters such as pay rates and working hours. The idea behind the new system is to make the labour market more transparent by making relevant data accessible to employers, employees and the authorities.
- 15 Jun 2004
Hungary: Tripartite call for local and national employment pacts<#PDF_LINK>In May 2004 in Hungary, two employers’ associations, two trade union organisations and the Minister of Employment and Labour signed a joint memorandum urging local labour market actors to develop joint initiatives to improve the employment situation. The document was also signed with a view to concluding a similar national pact.
- 19 May 2004
Hungary: 2003 Annual Review for Hungary<#PDF_LINK>This record reviews 2003's main developments in industrial relations in Hungary.
- 07 Apr 2004
Hungary: Controversy persists over public employee councils<#PDF_LINK>Long-postponed elections to public employee councils- works council-type bodies in the Hungarian public service sector - are due to be held in autumn 2004. As the elections approach, trade unions are calling for the abolition of these councils, which they see as unnecessarily duplicating the role of workplace-level union organisations.
- 12 Feb 2004
Hungary: Collective bargaining trends in 2002-3<#PDF_LINK>According to a report on collective bargaining from the Hungarian Ministry of Employment and Labour, the proportion of employees covered by collective agreements fell by 5 percentage points from 2001 to 2002. In terms of the content of bargaining, many agreements concluded in 2002 included new provisions on flexible working hours, including the annualisation of working time. The scope of wage agreements further narrowed, especially in relation to enterprise-level minimum wages and wage rates. On the other hand, according to the MSZOSZ trade union confederation, enterprise-level wage agreements for 2003, where they were reached, were generally in line with a national tripartite recommendation on pay increases.
- 12 Feb 2004
Hungary: New working time regulations for healthcare workers<#PDF_LINK>New legislation on the working time of healthcare employees comes into force in Hungary on 1 May 2004 (the date it joins the EU). Among other issues, the law regulates maximum working time and the complicated issue of on-call service in the healthcare sector. The reaction of organisations representing healthcare employees to the new rules has been somewhat muted.
- 12 Feb 2004
Hungary: Social partners may have greater input in parliament<#PDF_LINK>Following an initiative from the MGYOSZ employers' confederation in January 2004, it appears that the Hungarian social partners are likely to be granted the opportunity to have a regular say in parliamentary committee meetings and plenary sessions.
- 09 Feb 2004
Hungary: Works councils examined<#PDF_LINK>Works councils were introduced in Hungary by the 1992 Labour Code. This article reviews the introduction of works councils, the most recent empirical studies on their operation and the ongoing political debate.
- 30 Jan 2004
Hungary: Warning strike at Budapest Ferihegy Airport<#PDF_LINK>On 14 December 2003, a two-hour warning strike was held at Budapest Ferihegy Airport, Hungary, organised by trade unions at Budapest Airport Corporation in protest against proposed job losses and restructuring. However, a successful meeting between unions and management led to a proposed one-day strike being called off and agreement to continue negotiations with the help of a mediator.