Orbán promises to increase wages and family subsidies

A draft of a budget for peace-time has been prepared, “we will raise wages and family subsidies”, the prime minister said in a Facebook post on Sunday, after addressing an annual picnic meeting in Kötcse, in southern Hungary, on the previous day.

Orbán’s plan

“We have an action plan. Although it has not been presented or announced yet, we haven’t put it under political work yet, but we usually refer to it as a peace-time budget and it is already in the drawer. This is more or less the case, and if [central bank] Governor [György] Matolcsy doesn’t force us to do so, then we will not have to pull it out ahead of time,” Viktor Orbán said.

The prime minister said that a 3-5 percent economic growth target for 2025 was at the centre of the draft budget. A budget must be drawn up that, in addition to preserving the financial balance – which is necessary because of the credit rating agencies and the entire financial world – is able to produce a 3-5 percent growth, he said.

“This is the basis for everything, and I think we can manage this,” Orbán added.

He said “dynamics” were needed when it came to wages. Employers and employees are in “very dynamic” talks about next year’s wages, Orbán said.

“The government is trying to stay out of this, but apparently unions will agree on a large-scale wage increase with employers, which the government will seal; and obviously they want to involve our money, but this is now beside the point ….but a series of negotiations are taking place at the moment about a significant minimum wage increase for years to come,” Orban said.