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Hungary
Contributed by Gábor Egry
After 1989, the monolith and obligatory trade union organization in Hungary broke up, with six confederations based on voluntary membership emerging. Membership figures were mostly influenced by the process of economic transition and the strategy of trade unions that focused on political bargaining instead of industrial action, leading to an overall decline to around 300,000 members out of 4.2-4.5 million employees.
The most unionized sectors are public administration, education, health care, electricity, transportation, car making industry. Trade unions operate mostly on the basis of financial subsidies received from the government as part of the EU initiatives to strengthen social partnership.
Memory work is rare. The Forum for the Cooperation of Trade Unions (Szakszervezetek Együttműködési Fóruma), the confederation of trade unions within the public sector has an education program which consists of topics of history. Commemorative acts are limited to sporadic events without much publicity or regularity. While the Archives of Political History and the Trade Unions holds important material on the history of trade unions, there is no centralized archive collecting documents neither producing specialist publications. After a low tide of labor history post-1989, there is again renewed historiographic interest in research on adjacent topic, including the broader history of social emancipation in modern Hungary.
The 'Silver Beach' resort of the Nationwide Trade Union Council (SZOT) at Balatonszéplak. SZOT was the party-state controlled umbrella organization of Hungarian trade unions during the state socialist regime (1948-1990).
An Overrview of Hungarian Trade Unions
Contributed by Lisa Otten (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
Trade unions in Hungary are facing considerable challenges under Viktor Orbán's government. Their influence is severely limited by legal restrictions, the limitation of strike rights and tight control by the government. On the current framework conditions for trade unions in Hungary, see also:
https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/id/gewerkschaftsmonitore/16075/2023-ungarn.pdf
The current trade union landscape in Hungary consists of six confederations and many small company and sectoral trade unions.
1. Értelmiségi Szakszervezeti Tömörülés (ESZT)
The Intellectual Workers' Trade Union Confederation (ÉSZT) was founded in 1989 after the political change, as a spin-off of the former nationwide Trade Union Council (SZOT). In particular, it represents unionists from the fields of education, science, culture and administration. Today, the ÉSZT continues to play an important role in the Hungarian trade union system, particularly in the areas of education and public services. It is committed to improving the salaries, working conditions and social security of its members. In the past, it has taken part in protests against labour law restrictions and the deterioration of working conditions in the public sector. Despite the political challenges in Hungary, ÉSZT endeavours to represent the interests of employees.
2. Független Szakszervezetek Demokratikus Ligája (LIGA oder FSzDL)
The Democratic League of Independent Trade Unions was founded in 1989 after the end of the communist system. The LIGA emerged as an opposition movement against the state-controlled trade unions, in particular the Nationwide Trade Union Council (SZOT), which was closely linked to the communist party. The League consists of numerous individual trade unions representing different industries and sectors. Despite political challenges, the LIGA remains one of the central trade union forces in Hungary and actively participates in socio-political debates and negotiations.
3. Magyar Szakszervezeti Szövetség (MASZSZ)
The Hungarian Trade Union Confederation (MASZSZ) is the largest trade union organisation in Hungary. It was formed at the end of 2013 through the merger of the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions (ASZSZ), the Hungarian Trade Unions Allianz (MSOSZ) and the Forum of Trade Union Cooperation (SZEF). These trade unions split off from the former unified trade union SZOT after the political transition. The MASZSZ comprises numerous individual trade unions from various sectors, including public administration, healthcare and the education sector. At international level, the MASZSZ is a member of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). Through this networking, it is committed to strengthening labour rights in Hungary and beyond.
4. Munkástanácsok Országos Szövetsége (MOSZ)
The National Association of Workers' Councils (MOSZ) was founded in 1990. The basic idea of the MOSZ was to build on the workers‘ councils of 1956 and continue the principle of workers’ self-administration. Since 1991, the regional workers' associations have classified themselves as a Christian-social trade union. Today, MOSZ is one of the most important Hungarian trade union organisations, uniting over 100 individual trade unions and representing workers from the steel industry in particular. MOSZ is a member of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and campaigns for the rights of workers and employees at international level.
5. Szakszervezetek Együttműködési Fóruma (SZEF)
The Forum of Trade Union Cooperation (SZEF) is an important trade union organisation in Hungary that emerged from the merger of several trade unions. SZEF was founded in 1990 after the political change. The aim of the organisation is to represent the interests of employees in various sectors, in particular the education, health, culture and art, public administration and police sectors. SZEF is a member of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and is actively involved in international trade union co-operation.
6. Magyarországi Szociális és Egészségügyi Dolgozók Demokratikus Szakszervezete (MSZ EDDSZ)
The Democratic Trade Union of Hungarian Social and Health Care Workers (MSZ EDDSZ) was founded in 1990 and is one of the most important trade unions in Hungary representing employees in the social and health care sector. The trade union confederation strives above all to improve working conditions, fairer wages and more social security for employees in hospitals, nursing homes and other social institutions. The MSZ EDDSZ plays a central role in negotiating pay rises and working conditions for medical and nursing staff, which are of great importance in view of the underfunding and overburdening of the Hungarian healthcare system. In the past, it has organised several strikes and protest actions to draw attention to the catastrophic conditions in the healthcare and social sector.