Close to 100 trade unions, civic and non-governmental organizations decided to unify their forces in organizing a series of events for the weekend "in defense of democracy, social security, and of human and employee's rights." The weekend of events goes by the name of "D-Day."
Though the organizer's plans were well-coordinated, their initiative met an unexpected challenge when, two weeks ago, the Hungarian authorities refused to permit their demonstrations. The organizers turned to the courts, and in the case of a few specific events in the series, they were able to establish that the police had no legal grounds to deny the permits. The court upheld however the decision of the authorities for other events, most importantly for the sit-in at Clark Ádám Square.
I think there is reason to suppose that these last-minute battles over the permitting of the events were designed to create confusion about the legal status of the protest. In the end, however, the organizer were able to secure protest permits for all of the actions in the final schedule of events.
The so-called Akcióegység (Unity of Action - the collective name of the organizations joined behind the series of events) was forged in support of 9 collective demands:
- justice and fairness in the sharing of tax burdens
- an end to retroactive legislation
- the restoration of a previous system of trade union negotiations, in which unions and employers negotiated with the mediation of the state (called "háromoldalú társadalmi párbeszéd" - three-sided social dialogue)
- modification of Hungary's employment law upon a negotiated agreement is reached with the government's "social partners"
- the restoration of the constitutional protection of early retirement and service retirement options
- limiting any changes to the retirement system to new labor contracts, so that employees would be guaranteed an equitable transition
- the introduction of a new system of guaranteed career progressions only after a negotiated agreement with the unions
- the restoration of the right to strike
- no curtailment to union rights
Most of these demands are related to the government's plans to impose retroactive changes to labor contracts - especially as far as retirement options or work-hours are concerned.
Akcióegység comprises some major trade unions representing Hungarian employees, among them those working in the chemical and the electronic industries, firefighters, policemen, teachers, journalists, and every member organization of MSZOSZ, the left-leaning confederation of labor unions.
This level of unity among these organizations is unprecedented, since Hungarian labor unions are organized not by trade, but by political affiliation. Liga, the trade union confederation associated with Fidesz, Hungary's ruling party refused to participate in the events, and decided to negotiate behind closed doors about their demands for the government. In the meantime, some union members even received a warning about participating: mayors in more than one municipalities told members of the public employees' union that they could attend the protest on Saturday, but if they do so, they need not show up for work on Monday.
I'll be providing continuous coverage of the events here:
http://thecontrarianhungarian.wordpress.com/...
I think it would be a neat gesture of international solidarity if Daily Kos readers would visit the page and leave a message of encouragement in the comments section, along with a first name and geographical location. Hungary is a small country, and international attention goes a long way in support of these efforts.