Hungary, Estonia

The EAKL trade union confederation reports that health sector trade unions have negotiated pay rises of around 10% for health workers, due to be paid from 1 April. There are some variations across occupations with 10.01% for doctors; 10.03% for specialists; 10.07% for clinical psychologists; 10.09% for nurses and health care support specialists; 14.22% for specialty nurses and midwives; 9.89% for emergency technicians; 10.11% for emergency medical technicians 10.11%; and 10.14% for maintenance workers.

EPSU and the ETUC have written to prime minister Viktor Orbán to protest about draft legislation that undermines the right of public sector trade unions to collect union membership dues by check-off. The draft law is about reducing the administrative burdens of the state but will clearly pose major problems for trade unions and increase their own administration as they take on the task to collect fees. The public sector confederation SZEF along with the four other national confederations are supported by the ETUC and EPSU in calling for the proposals to be withdrawn and for negotiations to

The EAKL trade union confederation reports that the state wants to give additional pay to carers from July, which requires trade unions and employers to negotiate an agreement. Monthly pay in nursing homes varies from €725 to €1300 per month, depending on the region. EAKL says that trade unions want to negotiate a minimum wage for care workers in a sector collective agreement with a view to achieving the same level as that in the collective agreement for health workers where the minimum wage for care workers in health care institutions is set to reach €1160. With staff shortages reaching

The Hungarian government has issued two decrees removing the right to strike from air traffic control staff. An appeal court judgement of 20 July clearly confirmed the union’s legal right to strike. However, six days later the two decrees were published which not only dismiss the decision of the Hungarian Appeal Court but also violate Article 28 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) has condemned the Hungarian government and strongly maintains that collective representation and collective bargaining are basic labour rights

The five national trade union confederations sent a solidarity message to the MESZK chamber of healthcare professionals in support of its protest march in Budapest on 31 July. The demonstrators called for pay increases for nurses in line with those already awarded to doctors and argued this was crucial to help stem the migration of nurses to western Europe. Earlier this year the five confederations also came together to file a complaint with the International Labour Organisation over the government’s imposition of new legislation which removes the rights to negotiate and take strike action

The ROTAL state and local government employees’ union has signed an agreement with the ministry of finance on recommended principles for maintaining mental health in the work environment. The agreement recognises that a large proportion of civil servants are exposed to intellectual and psychological challenges in their daily work, and that maintaining mental health in the work environment is therefore a key occupational safety issue. The agreement will allow for a range of measures to be taken to mitigate psycho-social risk factors such as making work organization and the workplace suitable

The EAKL trade union confederation has called for real wage increases for frontline workers, particularly in the light of all their efforts during the pandemic. Negotiations on health workers’ pay are now continuing through a national conciliator and EAKL is particularly concerned that the pressures on the service need to be addressed and particularly the low levels of pay that is driving workers away from the sector. Meanwhile the confederation reports that negotiations on the salaries of emergency service and police officers have not even started and is concerned that the state budget is not