Social sector workers demonstrated outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Budapest on Friday, demanding an immediate 25 per cent pay rise and improved working conditions. Péter Magyar then went out and met them to hear their demands.

Demonstrators call for higher wages and better working conditions

The protest was organised under the slogan, “We pay our utility bills in one go, so we want our pay rise in one go, too.” Workers said the previously promised 20–25 per cent wage increase, which is expected to be introduced in two stages and may also take into account the minimum wage increase and tax relief, falls well short of their expectations.

Ferenc Köves, president of the Trade Union of Workers in the Social Sector, said employees understood that the government had inherited the problems facing the sector from the previous administration. However, he stressed that the current government was the one responsible for finding a solution.

Péter Magyar meets protesters outside Prime Minister’s Office

Prime Minister Péter Magyar went out to the demonstrators and said the government was fully aware of the difficulties facing the social sector. He argued that even another 25 per cent pay rise would not, on its own, provide a meaningful and genuine solution to the sector’s problems.

Köves handed the prime minister the union’s proposed wage table, along with a list of issues it wants to discuss beyond the question of pay. Magyar invited union representatives to talks, but although they thanked him for the invitation, they suggested holding the meeting at a later date.

Never miss a headline: join Daily News Hungary’s Telegram channel!

PM Magyar wants a long-term solution

Addressing the demonstrators, Péter Magyar said the government faced a wide range of responsibilities. He said it had taken over a severely depleted budget and would have to decide whether workers should receive a one-off payment or a pay rise this year.

The government must also determine whether next year’s wage increase should be implemented in one or two stages, he added, asking workers in the social sector for patience.

Read also: Hungary scraps EUR 73 billion motorway deal linked to Orbán-era allies, launches criminal complaints