On 5 June, several thousands of teachers staged a demonstration in Budapest in protest over the government’s planned education reform. Members and supporters of five teachers’ unions across the country gathered near Parliament and marched to the National Resources Ministry. Laszlo Mendrey, head of the Democratic Union of Teachers (PDSZ), said at the event that teachers want no more decisions on education without prior consultation: “Teachers can no longer tolerate that they are considered important but once every four years, ahead of the general elections.” The protesters drew up a petition, demanding a 10% pay rise and a say in decisions on employers’ rights, working hours of teachers, as well as salaries and benefits. Unless talks with the government yield a compromise, unions will hold a general strike in September at the beginning of the academic year, according to Mendrey.
English: Máté Komiljovics, union correspondent
This article was published in the Collective Bargaining Newsletter. It aims to facilitate information exchange between trade unions and to support the work of ETUC's collective bargaining committee. For more information, please contact the editor Maarten van Klaveren, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) M.vanKlaveren@uva.nl. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net. © ETUI aisbl, Brussels 2011.