Economy
Hungary MPs nix Sunday shopping ban, wage talks to ensue
Antal Rogán, head of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office, said already during the parliamentary debate today that consultations on supplementary wages for Sunday work could start in the coming weeks.
The passing of the new law means those working on Sundays are entitled to a 50% wage supplement, whereas the supplement was 100% since the shopping ban was implemented last March.
Kósa underlined that if Parliament had not chosen this solution [and rescind the no-work Sunday law) a successful referendum would have prevented the wage supplement issue from being settled for three years. In the current situation, though, conditions to Sunday labour and the related remuneration may be clarified with those affected within a short period of time, he added.
Before 15 March 2015, employees in the retail sector were entitled to a 50% wage supplement on Sundays and a 100% wage supplement on holidays, Easter and Pentecost Sunday.
Several MPs of the opposition parties pointed out that the 100% wage supplement would be halved. The Socialist Party (MSZP), which initiated a referendum on the Sunday shopping ban not without a scandal, requested during the debate that law should guarantee at least a 100% wage supplement.
Csaba Dömötör, parliamentary state secretary at the PM’s Cabinet Office, said the referendum initiated by the left-wing party was aimed at eliminating the law as a whole and in case of a successful referendum the wage supplement issue would have been completely off the table for three years. He noted that consultations will be started in this respect with the relevant representative bodies.
Gergely Gulyás of the Fidesz party underlined that the governing party is in favour of raising the wage supplements and it would initiate reconciliation about this with the sector’s representatives.
It was made mandatory for Fidesz MPs to vote on the bill today. The penalty for not voting while failing to report the absence in advance was 100 000 forints that needs to be given away to a charitable organisation. Kristóf Szatmáry was granted permission to vote ‘no’.
Kósa made it clear that no regulatory issue such as the one MPs have just rescinded will occur in the current governing cycle.
The passing of the new law means those working on Sundays are entitled to a 50% wage supplement, whereas the supplement was 100% since the shopping ban was implemented last March.
Kósa underlined that if Parliament had not chosen this solution [and rescind the no-work Sunday law) a successful referendum would have prevented the wage supplement issue from being settled for three years. In the current situation, though, conditions to Sunday labour and the related remuneration may be clarified with those affected within a short period of time, he added.
Before 15 March 2015, employees in the retail sector were entitled to a 50% wage supplement on Sundays and a 100% wage supplement on holidays, Easter and Pentecost Sunday.
Several MPs of the opposition parties pointed out that the 100% wage supplement would be halved. The Socialist Party (MSZP), which initiated a referendum on the Sunday shopping ban not without a scandal, requested during the debate that law should guarantee at least a 100% wage supplement.
Csaba Dömötör, parliamentary state secretary at the PM’s Cabinet Office, said the referendum initiated by the left-wing party was aimed at eliminating the law as a whole and in case of a successful referendum the wage supplement issue would have been completely off the table for three years. He noted that consultations will be started in this respect with the relevant representative bodies.
Gergely Gulyás of the Fidesz party underlined that the governing party is in favour of raising the wage supplements and it would initiate reconciliation about this with the sector’s representatives.
It was made mandatory for Fidesz MPs to vote on the bill today. The penalty for not voting while failing to report the absence in advance was 100 000 forints that needs to be given away to a charitable organisation. Kristóf Szatmáry was granted permission to vote ‘no’.
Kósa made it clear that no regulatory issue such as the one MPs have just rescinded will occur in the current governing cycle.
