Approved by the Executive Committee meeting on 8 December 2021
This ETUC Executive Committee stands in solidarity with the members of CONTROL Hungarian ATC Trade Union (MLISZ) who are fighting against attempts to remove their fundamental right to strike. Air Traffic Controllers around Europe have fought for years to protect their right to strike which has consistently come under attack from governments and businesses alike. Now, under the leadership of Viktor Orban, the Hungarian government intends to remove this right once and for all, yet another breach of the rule of law by the Hungarian government.
This ETUC Executive Committee calls on the EU Commission to take leadership in addressing this issue and to fully uphold the rule of law in Hungary in all its forms. Now more than ever we are starting to see the Hungarian government shift its gaze towards workers, and like other sectors of society, workers, their rights, and their trade unions must be protected from any attempts to jeopardise standards.
Furthermore, the Executive Committee demands that the Hungarian government stop the implementation of these laws which will in effect remove the right to free and effective industrial action. The creation of this so-called ‘salad-act’ bill stands only to supersede the ruling of the Hungarian court on this case, which in July 2021 granted the union permission for a legal strike. Since then, the Hungarian government has blocked this ruling by implementing new laws temporarily removing their right to strike due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the Hungarian government intends to make this a permanent feature, going against the spirit of the court ruling in the second instance.