We have every reason to be proud of signed three-year wage agreement 

The signed three-year wage agreement is a milestone we have every reason to be proud of, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wrote in a letter sent to the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) which was read out by rotating president of the NESC Ágnes Cser at the beginning of the Council’s meeting held in Budapest on Friday. 

In his message, the Prime Minister wrote that in addition to the numbers, it is also in favour of the agreement that “we Hungarians are able to combine forces and to take action together for the future of our country.” 

Mr Orbán highlighted that the work would not stop here; from 2025, the government will support the enhancement of the purchasing power of incomes, the strengthening of the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises and the improvement of the financial situation of families with further instruments.

In his message, the Prime Minister thanked representatives of the NESC’s church, civil-society, arts, employer, worker and academic sections for their valuable proposals and asked the parties concerned to remain constructive partners of the government also next year. 

Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry for National Economy Viktória Zöld-Nagy said in an address about labour protection that healthy workers constitute the foundations of the economy. 

She added that they had prepared the government resolutions concentrating on the periods between 2016 and 2022 and 2024 and 2027 – which covered the entire field of labour protection – in line with the European Union’s labour protection strategy. 

Ms Zöld-Nagy said they identified three main challenges in the field of labour protection at both EU and national levels. As the first area she mentioned the management of the challenges related to the green and digital transition and the demographic transition. In second place stands the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases. The third area of priorities was incorporated into the strategy in consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, focusing on the need to prepare for the management of any potential future health care emergencies.

She also said the authorities in Hungary conduct approximately 10,000 labour protection inspections annually through representatives of the government offices. She drew the attention of employers to the fact that the amounts of labour protection fines had been increased. She indicated at the same time that the purpose of the latter was not for the authorities to impose as many fines as possible and of the highest possible amounts, but to encourage employers to enhance discipline. 

Ms Zöld-Nagy said according to plans, in the first quarter of 2025 they will launch two EU projects in the area of labour protection. One of them will serve to assist with the procurement of labour protection equipment, while the other one will be available for occupational health examinations. It is true of both that employers will be able to avail themselves of these projects if they pay extra attention to complying with the relevant labour protection and labour safety regulations also beyond what is compulsory. 

Responding to a proposal of the NESC’s civil-society section, the Deputy State Secretary said they monitor industrial projects also from a labour protection point of view. Last year, they launched a battery task force in order to pay special attention to these projects. In response to a comment from the organisation’s employer section, she said occupational accidents depend on the sector a particular business is active in, rather than on its size. 

Rotating president of the NECS Ágnes Cser – who is also a member of the European Economic and Social Committee’s Civil Society Organisations’ Group – said, outlining the opinion of the Committee, that public health care expenditures are investments, not burdens which serve the operation of the economy and to keep citizens healthy. 

Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Ábel Berczik delivered a speech about the bill on the 2025 central budget, and said all signs appear to indicate that the government’s plan to boost the economy and to attract investments will start bearing fruit next year, and in 2025 the economy could again return to the growth level above 3 per cent which we were all used to in the 2010s. The foundations of the economy are sound, and this provides a good basis for the budget, while employment is at an outstanding level also by European standards, he pointed out. 

He added that in next year’s budget special priorities included the protection of pensioners, Hungary’s military defence and the preservation of family benefits and grants. 

The Deputy State Secretary also spoke about the new economic policy action plan which includes 21 points as possible breakthrough points. The action plan rests on three pillars: enhancing the purchasing power of incomes which is also related to the three-year wage agreement, improving housing conditions, and the Demján Sándor Programme which serves to increase the competitiveness and sizes of businesses. 

The NESC is a consultative, proposal-making and advisory body independent of Parliament and the government.