Hungarian Unions Fail to Evoke Yellow Vests in ‘Slave Law’ March
- Only a few thousand protesters march in downtown Budapest
- Fidesz proposes to allow employers to demand more extra hours
Members and supporters of several Hungarian trade unions and opposition parties march towards the parliament building in Budapest on Dec. 8.
Photographer: Atilla Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty images
Hungary’s labor unions took to the streets to protest against a ruling-party bill they’ve dubbed the “slave law” that aims to significantly boost the number of extra hours employers can demand of employees.
A few thousand protesters marched in Budapest against a proposal from Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party to allow employers to demand as many as 400 extra hours of work annually from employees, up from 250 hours now. After the unions announced the nationwide protest, the government made some changes to the legislation without fully backing down.