Here is how the government wants to kill workers’ unions

The opposition Socialist Party has criticised a government bill changing the way trade union membership fees are deducted from wages, calling it an “open and unambiguous attack against workers’ rights and interests”.

Under the current rules, employers deduct union membership fees from workers’ wages and transfer them to the trade union designated by the employee, Imre Komjáthi, the party’s co-leader, told a press conference. The Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office has submitted a bill for public discussion that would change this practice and the employer would not be obliged to transfer the membership fees to certain unions, he added.

Komjáthi said the government had “done everything in the past ten years to curb workers’ rights”, and this move would be a “serious blow to the trade unions that protect workers”. The representation of workers’ interests should be strengthened, not destroyed, Komjathi said, adding that workers needed physical security, proper remuneration, a social safety net and strong unions.