A question for…
Nora Krokovay, Senior Analyst at Kopint-Tárki
What changes can we expect in terms of social dialogue and labour law in Hungary following the elections that brought an end to Viktor Orbán’s 16-year leadership?
The atmosphere was very euphoric and joyful after the elections. We should welcome the fact that democratic mobilisation, with a turnout of over 79%, can bring down a populist government. The new government will hold 137 of the 199 seats in Parliament. It wields significant power, which is the only chance to change what has been put in place by a strong government.
For the moment, it’s difficult to make predictions as the new team begins to settle in. It will be able to make certain swift decisions, but after that, it’s essentially a matter of bringing about profound changes in society, particularly regarding how to tackle corruption. Things will need to be changed that have been deeply entrenched in society for sixteen years. A very complex system has been put in place that permeates right down to the lowest levels. Changes can’t simply be decreed: a genuine cultural shift will be required.
As for social dialogue and industrial relations, I can’t say much about them at the moment. It must be acknowledged that social dialogue is in a sorry state. Collective agreements are very weak. There are many problems relating to social legislation, particularly due to European directives that have not been properly transposed.
The situation has deteriorated over the years. For a long time, the social partners haven’t been consulted at any level, and sometimes haven’t even been informed. We’ve gone from simply being informed to a situation where they were no longer even informed, or only on the eve of a law being passed. We’re very keen to see if this will change.
We’ve analysed the content of the election manifesto of the Tisza party, the election winner. It refers to the erosion of workers’ rights and the fact that dialogue has become a mere formality and is virtually non-existent. Apart from this rather brief observation, there’s little mention of how to change this or of any real willingness to bring about change.
We already have the institutions in place, which have certainly been stripped of their substance and discredited. How can we reverse this trend? I mean, will people start to breathe new life into these institutions? And now that there’s a government willing to engage in dialogue with my social partners, will it actually take the lead and set up these discussions? I think the social partners are ready, but they’re also still adopting a wait-and-see attitude on this. The only commitment we could find in the Tisza party’s manifesto is that the industrial relations system will be reviewed and improved. But honestly, I think it would be very, very difficult to make it any worse!
