Hungarian opposition proposes wage hike package
The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has prepared a package aimed at raising wages, the party’s MEP said on Thursday.
Detailing the package, Klára Dobrev told a press conference that DK would introduce European regulations on the minimum wage and strengthen education, vocational training and unions.
The party has also devised a tax regime enabling “much fairer wage hikes”, with a special focus on taxes on small and medium-sized businesses, Dobrev said.
Under the package, only businesses that offer competitive wages would be eligible for state and European Union subsidies in future, she said.
Dobrev accused the government of wasteful spending on “showcase investments”, politicians’ salaries, “the enrichment of the businesses of billionaires linked to ruling Fidesz” as well as “dishonest propaganda”.
She said cutting such expenditures alone would save the budget more than HUF 1,780 billion (EUR 4.8bn).
In response, ruling Fidesz said that “the whole of the dollar left supports war”, adding that the alleged attitude could “compromise the jobs and wages of Hungarians“.
“The five things [DK leader Ferenc] Gyurcsány and his people would inevitably bring about are war, spending cuts, an economic collapse, unemployment, and migrants,” Fidesz said in a statement.
Fidesz also slammed DK for declining to support next year’s budget which would “ensure protection for the country, jobs, families, pensioners, low utility fees, and which would facilitate further pay hikes in the public sector”.
Source: MTI
please make a donation here
Hot news
Hungary, Malta sharply oppose re-emergence of blocs in world
Hungary’s parliament approves workers’ credit and short-term rental permits in Budapest
Exclusive scoop! Sex and the City secrets revealed as Candace Bushnell comes Budapest
Hungarian Minister Nagy claims: Wages in Hungary far outshine Romania’s
Hungarian forint hits new 2-year low against the euro, attempts to recover
BREAKING! Travel chaos as trains come to a standstill at major Budapest railway station
3 Comments
Another pea-brained socialist proposal to try to buy votes from people who like the idea of “free money.” Except no money is ever free. A higher minimum wage means inflation. It means more automation (such as self-checkouts in supermarkets). This has been tried (minimum wage hiked up to $15 in places like Seattle) and the results were plain for all who cared to look to see. Stronger labor unions? Yeah, that’s just the ticket. We need to become more like France or Spain or Britain, where the unions bring the country to a standstill every other week by demanding ridiculous pay raises, usually for the (unproductive and inefficient) public sector. As for “strengthen[ing] education [and] vocational training,” I can imagine these people’s idea of “strengthening”… – they probably mean show them graphic trans-whatever imagery and have drag queens dance semi-naked at school assemblies.
Increasing lowest minimum wages does automatically increase inflation. There is plenty of scientific reports concluding this. It is of course not a simple black and white solution but definitely it is not a bad idea to offer salary increases to the lowest salaries. That money will be spent on basic necessities and increase economic activity. Opposition wants increase the salaries of education sector also and no, opposition does not want to hire dancing LGBT people into schools, the opposition wants to provide good quality education to the next generation by motivated educators.
Labor unions have been crucially important in the course of history by helping the development of more equal societies. I really wish the education sector had a strong union that could bring this nation to its knees. Maybe then finally education sector issues would be addressed.
Good ideas from the opposition. I wish there was more cooperation rather than nonsense accusations between leading politicians.
ooh, my typo – I meant to write “Increasing lowest minimum wages does NOT automatically increase inflation.”