Trade unions protest proposed changes to overtime rules

Tourism

Trade union association MaSzSz has protested a bill submitted to Parliament on Tuesday by MPs of governing Fidesz that would extend the period employers may account overtime for the purpose of calculating wages and rest days from twelve months to three years, state news agency MTI reported.

MaSzSz Chairman Lászlo Kordás complained that the bill would also raise the upper threshold for annual overtime from 250 to 400 hours.

If the bill is passed, it could allow employers to require workers to be on the job from morning till night for periods of up to four weeks, without a day off, he said.

The billʼs authors justified the measures by citing the "draining effect on the supply side of the labor market," as well as "positive economic trends and the needs of the labor market."

The bill would be especially helpful for branches of the economy in which product cycles are as long as 6-7 years for adjusting output to demand, they added.

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