Public services workers’ union announces strike

The union of public service workers (MKKSZ) will begin preparations for a series of strikes over the first three months of 2018 after it failed to reach an agreement with government representatives on a wage increase for local council workers on Wednesday, the head of the union said.

Erzsébet Boros told reporters before a session of the National Public Service Interest Reconciliation Council (OKET) that MKKSZ would push for the introduction of a 245,000 forint (EUR 787) minimum wage for workers with higher education degrees at the meeting.

Speaking to MTI after the meeting, Boros said

the government had no intention to raise wages and had not responded to the union‘s proposal.

She said prior to the session that more and more university graduate employees were leaving local councils over low wages. As a result, local governments are having a hard time performing their duties, she added.

Boros said MKKSZ was open to further talks and were awaiting the government’s offer. She added, however, that the union would begin collecting signatures for its planned series of strikes.

Source: MTI