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Article

13 Dec 2018

Author:
BBC

Hungary: Protests break out after 'slave labour' law raising overtime limit is passed

"Hungary 'slave labour' law sparks protest on parliament steps", 13 December 2018

Protests have broken out in Hungary after the country's parliament passed new labour laws, which have been labelled "slave labour" by opponents.

New rules mean companies can demand up to 400 hours of overtime a year and delay payment for it for three years.

Police used tear gas against crowds on the steps of the parliament building on Wednesday night... one estimate suggested up to 2,000... gathered outside the building... to protest against the "slave labour" amendment...

It followed a weekend protest over the proposed change, where crowds gathered calling for higher minimum wages, rather than an increase in overtime...

Mr Orban's government, however, argues that the labour reform will benefit workers as well as companies who need to fill a labour shortage. "We have to remove bureaucratic rules so that those who want to work and earn more can do so," he said...

Neither the country's trade unions nor the political opposition agree...