Enough is enough: 1000s of professors speak out against unfair salaries at three major Hungarian public universities
In three large, prestigious Hungarian higher education institutions, a total of nearly 3,000 professors are demanding decent, competitive university staff salaries. The academics are calling for an immediate pay rise, an end to the lack of financial recognition and a guarantee of uninterrupted and high-quality teaching.
Thousands of professors protest
Photo: Alpár Kató / Daily News Hungary
Nearly 1,500 university staff at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), around 1,000 at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) and more than 250 at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music signed the open letters on the above-mentioned topic, sent to the state higher education institutions’ maintenance authorities, G7 reports.
At ELTE, Hungary’s largest university, an institutional minimum salary was introduced after pressure last year. This ensures that university teachers’ salaries cannot be less than a certain amount. This minimum salary is HUF 380,000 (EUR 962) gross for assistant lecturers, HUF 420,000 (EUR 1,083) gross for senior lecturers, and HUF 362,000 (EUR 917) gross for teaching-research support positions.
Trainee teachers earn more than associate professors
ELTE Faculty of Sciences. Source: ELTE TTK
There is no minimum salary for higher associate professor and university professor posts. Still, according to the open letter, the average salary for associate professors this year is HUF 504,480 (EUR 1,278) gross. This indicates that the average salary at higher university posts is now lower than the salary of trainee teachers. In addition, last year’s inflation of nearly 18% has contributed significantly to the depreciation of the university minimum salary.
In recent years, the government has placed most universities in Hungary in a special foundation in a pseudo-privatisation operation (i.e. while maintaining state funding). Three of the five universities that remain state-owned are protesting against working and pay conditions. The two exceptions are the Hungarian University of Fine Arts and the National University of Public Service, which has special status and belongs to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Tragic situation since 2017
Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church. Source: KRE
According to G7, the desperate pay situation for college and university teachers is nothing new. The issue has been in the press from time to time in recent years, and academics have spoken out, to little avail. A lecturer at the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church, for example, calculated as early as 2017 that a warehouse clerk at Aldi earns more than an associate professor.
By 2021, the situation had improved to the extent that only the wages of night warehouse clerks exceeded the basic salary of associate professors, but the basic salary of Aldi warehouse clerks working during the day was still well above the salaries of assistant lecturers and senior lecturers.
Technically, the real salary amount has not changed for years: the 15% rise granted twice, in 2021 and 2022, has not made the situation any better. What is more, this rise was not calculated in the basic salary in every institution: there were some places where getting it was conditioned on performance.
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2 Comments
Apply to become a Politician! Join the gravy train! The Politicians take very good care of themselves:
https://dailynewshungary.com/viktor-orbans-monthly-salary-may-increase-by-860000-huf-2145-eur/
Alternatively, the Politicians are very upset the European Union has not yet sent over the un-earned Euros those stupid Contributor countries are dispensing to other, more worthy Members. With this money, they could pay teachers, doctors!
#priorities
https://www.statista.com/chart/18794/net-contributors-to-eu-budget/
We know over the past (18) eighteen months, the confrontations that have from Educators been directed at the Orban-Fidesz Government, through on-going BROKEN promises.
The salary levels structure employed in Hungarian are of a disjointed system and across the board far removed from being a “level ” playing field, in comparison to just not European Union Country’s but Europe.
The Orban-Fidesz Government, in there DEFLECTION of the treatment handed out to Educators – EDUCATION in Hungary, continues to HIGHLIGHT likened to the Media/Press, the Judiciary, the “use” of Rule by Decree, we know the Orban /Fidesz Government want to CONTROL – Education.
This is evidenced in the present atmosphere associated with the Orban-Fidesz Government, the escalating argument with the Central Bank of Hungary, that the “modus operandi” of Orban is to take CONTROL under his Government.
The on-going non practice of Dialogue which is a CORE of Democracy, that Orban has SMASHED in Hungary, the we again are witnessed of in the conduct of this Orban-Fidesz Government of Hungary.
The Government of Hungary, over the (11) eleven years they have been in office, there ABYSMAL attitude to Education, that in the multitude of WRONGFULNESS they have exercised, it’s highlighted by FACT, they have made NO Investment to the level of NEED that Education requires, to bring the entire Education system of Hungary, into the 21st century.
Education – factually placed by this Orban -Fidesz led Government placed LOW on the list of PRIORITIES – the need(s) of Hungary to perform and practice Educate in accordance to that of the 21st century.
Governments in a CREED of there being elected to Govern a country, have a society civilian RESPONSIBILITY to continuously INVEST into Education.
The taxes we pay – Education is a major priority for it’s USE as is Health, Hospitals, Public Transport, Medical Services – optical & Dentistry, but these are just few examples that have been ABURSED starved of investment funding by the Orban -Fidesz Government of Hungary, that places us as a country, an Economy on the “brink” of a cataclysmic disaster, a Government with NO funding available – BROKE – that the nadir of MESS sooner than later, will be HORRENDOUS.
Bow not I say to Educators in Hungary – for you, as has Hungary in our millions been FAILED by this Orban-Fidesz Government, that continue on being playing out to effect the DISTILLATION of Democracy in Hungary.