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9 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 16/2001
Joining the European Union means working one-third more and kissing goodbye to the five-day week.
That, at least, is what the Hungarian government is trying to tell the country's workers.
It has tabled amendments to the Hungarian Labour Code that would seriously undermine workers' legal rights. The government argues that the anti-labour proposals are needed to bring Hungarian law into line with EU directives. Hungary aims to be one of the first Central European countries to join the EU.
The draft legislation will be put to the vote before the end of this month. That is why all of Hungary's union confederations are joining together in a demonstration tomorrow (Saturday 24 March) against the proposed changes.
According to the country's Federation of Chemical, Energy and General Workers' Unions (VDSz), the amendments would:
- extend the working week up to 48 hours
- eliminate the daily work break
- oblige employees to work six days instead of five days per week
- increase the maximum amount of overtime from 144 hours to 300 hours per year
- reduce the weekly rest period by two hours
- considerably expand the definition of seasonal work.
And even before the parliamentary vote, the proposed changes are having an industrial impact.
"In several workplaces within the chemical industry, the weekly working time is 36 hours," explains VDSz President György Paszternák. "The employers, encouraged by the government proposals, decided to increase weekly work times to 48 hours. So in these cases, working hours will increase by more than 30 percent. In the case of other workers, currently on a 40-hour week, it means a 20 percent increase.
"But wages will remain the same," Paszternák points out. "The government and the employers say this is in line with European principles, which lay down a 48-hour working week."
The government and employer claims are, of course, nonsense - as Fred Higgs points out in a letter to the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán.
Higgs is General Secretary of the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), to which the VDSz is affiliated at the global level.
"Mr. Orbán," Higgs writes, "I'm afraid your government's proposal shows a complete misunderstanding of European Union legislation. The whole EU social policy and directives aim to improve labour standards in Member States, not to reduce the protection of workers. In reality, working hours have been cut during the past decade, and in most EU member states, the regular working week is now well under 40 hours. Recent reports in France show that the government's decision to cut the working week to 35 hours has produced tens of thousands of new jobs. This clearly demonstrates that shorter working hours are an efficient policy in the fight against unemployment."
And Higgs has sent a copy of his letter to Romano Prodi, the President of the European Commission.
Because when it comes to European harmony, Viktor Orbán is singing the wrong tune.
That, at least, is what the Hungarian government is trying to tell the country's workers.
It has tabled amendments to the Hungarian Labour Code that would seriously undermine workers' legal rights. The government argues that the anti-labour proposals are needed to bring Hungarian law into line with EU directives. Hungary aims to be one of the first Central European countries to join the EU.
The draft legislation will be put to the vote before the end of this month. That is why all of Hungary's union confederations are joining together in a demonstration tomorrow (Saturday 24 March) against the proposed changes.
According to the country's Federation of Chemical, Energy and General Workers' Unions (VDSz), the amendments would:
- extend the working week up to 48 hours
- eliminate the daily work break
- oblige employees to work six days instead of five days per week
- increase the maximum amount of overtime from 144 hours to 300 hours per year
- reduce the weekly rest period by two hours
- considerably expand the definition of seasonal work.
And even before the parliamentary vote, the proposed changes are having an industrial impact.
"In several workplaces within the chemical industry, the weekly working time is 36 hours," explains VDSz President György Paszternák. "The employers, encouraged by the government proposals, decided to increase weekly work times to 48 hours. So in these cases, working hours will increase by more than 30 percent. In the case of other workers, currently on a 40-hour week, it means a 20 percent increase.
"But wages will remain the same," Paszternák points out. "The government and the employers say this is in line with European principles, which lay down a 48-hour working week."
The government and employer claims are, of course, nonsense - as Fred Higgs points out in a letter to the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán.
Higgs is General Secretary of the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), to which the VDSz is affiliated at the global level.
"Mr. Orbán," Higgs writes, "I'm afraid your government's proposal shows a complete misunderstanding of European Union legislation. The whole EU social policy and directives aim to improve labour standards in Member States, not to reduce the protection of workers. In reality, working hours have been cut during the past decade, and in most EU member states, the regular working week is now well under 40 hours. Recent reports in France show that the government's decision to cut the working week to 35 hours has produced tens of thousands of new jobs. This clearly demonstrates that shorter working hours are an efficient policy in the fight against unemployment."
And Higgs has sent a copy of his letter to Romano Prodi, the President of the European Commission.
Because when it comes to European harmony, Viktor Orbán is singing the wrong tune.