Hungarian rail union threatens strike next week
MTI: 29 March 2008
Budapest - Hungary's largest railway union VDSZSZ said it may resume strike in the second half of next week after wage negotiations with the railways MAV management over three months failed to achieve results, the union said in a statement sent to MTI on Friday.
VDSZSZ demands a 10 percent rise in basic salaries for employees of MAV railway's recently outsourced companies as well as a bonus of 250,000 forints (976 euros) paid to each employee from privatisation revenues.
As new demands, the union has added a petition to keep 38 spur lines that face closure going, as well as a 1.1 percent wage hike in compensation for higher inflation.
MAV says the demands are "unrealistic".
VDSZSZ, which represents around 25 percent of Hungary's 36,000 railway workers, suspended its open-ended strike on February 25.