Political commentator: no “mood for striking” in Hungary

There is no “mood for striking” in Hungary and support for protests has not grown in the past few weeks, political scientist Zoltán Kiszelly told public current affairs channel M1 on Tuesday.

“The trade union bubble will be the first to burst” as people do not back their demands, he said.

Kiszelly said that by 2013, the country had left behind the debt trap which was a legacy of successive left-liberal governments. “Life has become gradually easier since,” he said, adding that people on middle and lower incomes now felt more financially secure.

The opposition parties are trying to appropriate the demands of trade unions for their own political purposes, he said.

Meanwhile, movements launched by “fake NGOs”, and “self-styled politicians” have also appeared, he added.

The daily Magyar Idők said on Tuesday that trade unions were doubtful about whether a national strike would go ahead, and it was also unclear whether any demonstration would be held on Saturday.

László Kordas, president of the Hungarian Trade Union Confederation, told the paper several people had misunderstood the situation earlier, and only partial road blockages and other warning actions would be taken as the full willingness of employees was needed for a general strike to go ahead.

No date has been agreed on for a nationwide strike and preparations such as setting up a joint strike committee for a number of confederations and local unions are in their early stages, the paper said.

András Földiák, head of the SZEF trades union forum, said a strike would only be considered as a last resort should talks with the government break down. Organising a strike would take at least one month, he added. Negotiations are the way forward and everything should be done to avoid a strike, Földiák said.

Magyar Idők insisted that the majority of trade union confederations operating independently of political parties had already distanced themselves from the opposition’s actions.

Imre Palkovics, head of the Workers’ Council, said the chances of organising a national work stoppage were zero.

“Employees don’t want to get involved in a strike with political objectives,” he said, adding that political pressure would not get anywhere and the economic circumstances did not justify holding one.

Featured image: MTI

Source: MTI