Jobbik supports men’s retirement referendum initiative, says deputy leader

Budapest, July 14 (MTI) – Radical nationalist Jobbik supports a trade union referendum initiative to allow men to retire after 40 years of employment and will ask its members to collect signatures, Tamas Sneider, the party’s deputy leader said on Tuesday.

The referendum was initiated by Jozsef Bodnar, of the Railway Workers’ Union, to which the Kuria, Hungary’s supreme court, gave a go-ahead in a recent ruling.

Hungarian union federations MaSzSz and Liga announced on Monday that they would join the initiative.

Allowing men to retire after 40 years of service, which option is currently ensured only to women, was one of the issues Jobbik campaigned for back in the spring to put pressure on the government, Sneider told a press conference.

The unions will most certainly be able to collect 200,000 valid signatures required by law for calling a referendum, Sneider said, adding that the party would however keep tabs on developments.

He said they expect a referendum could be held in December.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters