The symbolic pause is meant to draw attention to the capital’s financial crisis and mounting tensions between City Hall and the central government.

“This is not a strike, but a decision made by the city as owner,” Karácsony said. “We chose a time that causes minimal disruption to show what happens when this city stops functioning.”

Karácsony emphasized that the intention is not to harm public services, but to highlight the capital’s deteriorating financial position, following a recent withdrawal of more than HUF 10 billion by the Hungarian State Treasury.

The amount was deducted over the city’s contested failure to pay the so-called “solidarity contribution,” which City Hall has refused to transfer, citing its illegality and unsustainable burden on the capital.

“We have nowhere left to retreat. We can’t and won’t pay more unlawful levies that destroy the city,” Karácsony said. “The first step is this 10-minute shutdown. The next may be a two-hour warning strike. After that, anything is possible.”

Karácsony warned that a prolonged public transport stoppage would have serious consequences. He warned that if BKV shuts down for a week, the government would have to revise its GDP forecasts.

“If this city stops, the Hungarian economy stops — and that will hurt the government,” he said, adding that Budapest’s insolvency could prompt credit rating agencies to downgrade Hungary to junk status.

The financial standoff escalated last week when the Treasury withdrew HUF 10.2 billion from the municipality’s account. City Hall argues the withdrawal is unlawful, as legal proceedings over the solidarity payment are still ongoing.

In response to the situation, unions representing workers at city-owned public service companies — including transportation, utilities, and maintenance — have formed a joint demonstration and strike committee, according to a report by Telex. Union representatives are calling on all political factions in the city assembly to put aside their differences and act to “save Budapest.” They have also requested immediate consultations with both Karácsony and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

In a joint statement, the unions warned that if the central government continues to drain the capital’s funds, essential public services in Budapest could collapse within weeks, putting the livelihoods of some 27,000 municipal employees at risk.

Karácsony has since responded to the unions’ move, describing the preparations for a strike as “understandable and justified.”

He added, “It cannot go on like this — that the government tries to plug holes in the national budget with money taken from Budapest, while those holes only grow larger.”