Hungary
Background information on industrial relations in Hungary
- 22 Dec 2005
Hungary: Employers’ organisations reviewed<#PDF_LINK>Employer representation in Hungary has been very fragmented since the transition to democracy, and in 2005 there are nine national-level employers’ organisations. This article describes the main characteristics of employers’ associations and their role in the Hungarian industrial relations system.
- 08 Dec 2005
Hungary: Social security supervisory boards re-established<#PDF_LINK>The renewed bodies of social partners working with the National Pension Insurance General Directorate and National Health Insurance Fund are not self-governments but perform a consulting and controlling role
- 05 Dec 2005
Hungary: New legislation proposed on temporary agency work <#PDF_LINK>In September 2005, the Hungarian government submitted a draft amendment of the Labour Code to the tripartite National Interest Reconciliation Council (OÉT). The proposal would change the law on temporary agency work, with the aim of curbing undeclared work and defining explicit rules on equal pay for agency workers.
- 09 Nov 2005
Hungary: Unprecedented union merger between LIGA and armed forces interest organizations<#PDF_LINK>The Democratic League of Independent Trade Unions (LIGA), one of the smaller union confederations, has recently announced that the Trade Union Association of Military and Police Employees, a union independent of confederations, would join LIGA.
- 31 Oct 2005
Hungary: Government proposes increased powers for labour inspectors <#PDF_LINK>In autumn 2005, the Hungarian parliament is considering a government bill that would increase the powers of labour inspectors and increase the fines on employers that breach employment law. The aim of the proposed changes is to crack down on undeclared work. Employers' organisations have objected to many aspects of the amendments.
- 12 Oct 2005
Hungary: Court ruling is upheld in Budapest Airport privatisation<#PDF_LINK>The Court of the Capital City upheld the appealed ruling of the first instance labour court and declared the privatization tender for Budapest Airport invalid. ÁPV Rt., the state organ in charge of privatization is to call for new tender and has already commenced consultation with employee representatives as required by the Court.
- 21 Sep 2005
Hungary: Court ruling on failure to consult may delay Budapest Airport privatisation<#PDF_LINK>The privatisation of Budapest Airport may be delayed due to a controversial labour court decision in August 2005, which ruled the exercise invalid because of failure properly to inform and consult the works council. Meanwhile, trade unions at the airport have threatened strike action in support of a demand for a pay rise.
- 15 Aug 2005
Hungary: Pre-pension programme extended to private sector<#PDF_LINK>The Hungarian government has extended its Premium Years Programme to the private sector, in an effort to support both older employees who are threatened by redundancy and companies facing major structural reform. The amendment was passed, despite the reservations of the social partners.
- 15 Jul 2005
Hungary: 2004 Annual Review for Hungary<#PDF_LINK>This record reviews the main industrial relations developments in Hungary during 2004
- 05 Jul 2005
Hungary: Government's pledges to cut taxes were consulted with social partners<#PDF_LINK>On 28 June 2005 at the Economic and Social Council the Prime Minister announced a new package of reforms of the tax system and of the minimum wage regulation.
- 28 Jun 2005
Hungary: New law on working time of mobile road transport workers in force<#PDF_LINK>A law adopted in Hungary in early 2005 transposes a 2002 EU Directive on the organisation of the working time of persons performing mobile road transport activities, as well as setting further sectoral rules for the road transport industry.
- 28 Jun 2005
Hungary: Sectoral bargaining now on the agenda in construction industry<#PDF_LINK>In May 2005, trade union and employers' organisations in the Hungarian construction industry agreed a schedule for negotiations aimed at concluding a sectoral collective agreement. Previous efforts in this direction have proved largely unsuccessful, but the issue has been given new impetus by the announcement of government measures to tackle undeclared work in construction. The parties believe that a sectoral collective agreement will be an important step in reducing undeclared work in the industry.
- 08 Jun 2005
Hungary: 100 steps program: the government has announced a widespread reform package of world of work, welfare services and broad areas of public services and economic regulation in Hungary<#PDF_LINK>In April 2005, Ferenc Gyurcsány, the Prime Minister announced the launch of a wide-ranging package of a reform steps, called 100 steps, which includes 100 reform measures in the field of of world of work, welfare services, broad areas of public services and economic regulation in Hungary.
- 07 Jun 2005
Hungary: Reorganisation of European level representation of Hungarian employers<#PDF_LINK>Following intense communication among the organisations concerned, it was agreed a major change in employers’ representation at UNICE, and in general at European level. The nine Hungarian employers’ association has agreed to suspend activities and disband CEHIC by June 2005. MGYOSZ, one of the major encompassing employers’ association, became the sole Hungarian member of UNICE.
- 31 May 2005
Hungary: EU information and consultation Directive implemented<#PDF_LINK>Legislation came into force in Hungary in March 2005 that seeks to implement the 2002 EU Directive establishing a general framework for informing and consulting employees.
- 13 May 2005
Hungary: Thematic feature - unskilled workers<#PDF_LINK>This article gives a brief overview of the industrial relations aspects of the topic of unskilled workers and unskilled work in Hungary, as of February 2005. It looks at: national definitions of unskilled workers or work; the number of unskilled workers and workers in unskilled jobs, and the extent of unskilled work; employment and unemployment among unskilled workers; the regulatory framework; trade union organisation among unskilled workers; pay and conditions; recent initiatives to improve the situation of unskilled workers; and the views of trade unions and employers' organisations on the issue and its implications for collective bargaining.
- 10 May 2005
Hungary: Wage agreement reached for rural bus transport<#PDF_LINK>In February 2005, a last-minute pay agreement averted national strike action at rural bus transport companies in Hungary. The deal provides the companies' 25,000 employees with an average gross wage increase of 8% for 2005.
- 10 May 2005
Hungary: Strike averted in Budapest public transport<#PDF_LINK>In February 2005, following lengthy bargaining and the threat of a strike, the Budapest Transport Company (BKV) and five trade unions reached a pay agreement. In 2005, the workforce will receive a flat-rate wage increase, worth about 8% on average but more than 10% for low-paid workers.
- 10 May 2005
Hungary: New rules for measuring representativeness of public service unions<#PDF_LINK>A new law that came into force in Hungary in January 2005 changes the rules for the recognition of public employees’ trade unions at workplace, sectoral and national level. It represents a major shift from the 1992 Labour Code, which made the results of elections to works councils the criterion of representativeness for unions.
- 10 May 2005
Hungary: Activities of national tripartite body in 2004 reviewed<#PDF_LINK>The national-level tripartite forum, currently the National Interest Reconciliation Council (OÉT), is a central element of the Hungarian industrial relations system. It has been operating since 1990, and despite various reorganisation efforts, it has changed very little in terms of members and agenda since the early 1990s. This article reviews the 2004 activities of the OÉT, which was re-established in 2002.
- 19 Apr 2005
Hungary: Thematic feature - collective agreements on changes in work organisation<#PDF_LINK>This article gives a brief overview of collective bargaining on changes in work organisation in Hungary, as of September 2004. It looks at: the extent to which collective agreements introduce changes in work organisation that take into account productivity demands, flexibility and security in an integrated way; the main areas in which changes are being introduced; the overall success or otherwise of bargaining on the topic; and the prospects for the future.
- 11 Apr 2005
Hungary: Redesigning the relations between MSZP and MSZOSZ<#PDF_LINK>The meeting of István Hiller, President of MSZP and Tamás Wittich, President of MSZOSZ marks a new era in the relationship between the Hungarian Socialist Party and one of the major Hungarian trade union confederations
- 09 Feb 2005
Hungary: Trade union membership and workplace presence continue to shrink<#PDF_LINK>Trade union membership and workplace presence, along with collective bargaining coverage, have diminished continuously in Hungary in recent years. The 2004 Labour Force Survey indicates that union density stood at 16.9%, down from 19.7% in 2001, while 33% of respondents reported a trade union presence at their workplace, compared with 37% in 2001. However, the reported presence of works councils was up from 32% in 2001 to 36% in 2004.
- 24 Jan 2005
Hungary: Twin referenda fail<#PDF_LINK>Referenda on granting citizenship to ethnic Hungarians living outside Hungary and on whether healthcare institutions should be privatised were held in December 2004. Both were rendered void by low turn-out. The social partners took a variety of views on the issues.
- 24 Jan 2005
Hungary: Central wage deals reached for 2005<#PDF_LINK>In November 2004, the Hungarian central social partners agreed to recommend a 6% wage increase in the competitive sector in 2005, and in December a similar deal was reached for public employees.
- 12 Jan 2005
Hungary: Temporary agency work examined<#PDF_LINK>Temporary agency work, which currently involves under 1% of the labour force, was first regulated in Hungarian labour law in 2001. This article examines, as of late 2004, the legal framework for agency work, its extent and nature, current practice in companies, and the views of the social partners.