Hungarian Post chief: EU regulations hinder wage hike

European Union regulations prevent the Hungarian state from funding a wage raise for Hungarian Post employees, CEO György Schamschula told the daily Magyar Nemzet.

An article published in the daily’s Monday edition noted that trade unions demonstrated over the weekend, calling for a ten-percent wage hike.

Schamschula said

EU regulations limited state aid to state-owned companies incurring “unfair additional costs” in 15 million euros, which “effectively ties the hands” of the state and the company.

Magyar Posta agrees with the trade unions that a wage hike would be necessary, Schamschula said, but falling revenues and protection expenditures to the tune of one billion forints (EUR 2.8m) due to the coronavirus epidemic left the company without the necessary means. Magyar Posta has turned to the state for aid, and is now “waiting for the mercy of Brussels”, he said.

Meanwhile, Magyar Posta has allocated 8.5 billion forints to a comprehensive one-off salary supplement payable to all employees, bar leadership, he said.

As we wrote last year, there are places in the country where the local school has to find a full teaching staff if they want to open in September. Meanwhile, tens of thousands leave the country because of low wages. – Thousands of teachers, bus drivers, postal workers missing in Hungary