Transportation strike spreads

Trains are not running on schedule as the Trade Union of Railroad Workers went on strike last Sunday. Passengers can expect interruptions in the service, shortened routes and that schedules are not kept, said Imre Kavalecz, spokesperson of Hungarian Railway Co (MÁV).


However, trains run on most of the lines, he added. While the railway strike spread nationwide, the Ferihegy airport strike also continues and the Budapest public transport will become partially paralyzed as the bus trade unions of BKV will go on a half day strike on Thursday demanding a better, more stable financing for the company.
In many cases it is the protest of the ticket controllers that keep trains from running, as according to regulations a ticket controller always needs to be aboard. The Trade Union of Railway Workers demands that MÁV employers receive Ft250thousand per person from the selling of MÁV Cargo. MÁV Cargo, the railway transporter branch of Hungarian Railway Co was privatized in January 1, 2006 and it had been the demand of the trade union that employees receive their fair share, with no results so far.
For now air traffic is continuous on Ferihegy, said Domokos Szollár, spokesperson of Budapest Airport. The company has sent its official reply to the trade union’s 12-point demand. Among other requests the trade union is pressing to halt group layoffs and the creation of a new collective contract. Hungarian Airline Malév had to cancel 12 of its Monday flights and, since the beginning of the strike, German Lufthansa was forced to ran a minibus service for its passengers to Wien. As airlines are getting more and more upset Budapest Airport intends to hire foreign security controllers to minimize the expenses of the airport and of the airlines. In response the National Association of Trade Unions turned to the Labor Chief Advisory Board about the Budapest Airport’s plan to employ strike-breakers.

The BpSun Staff

17.12.2008