Hungarian railway employees to strike on November 7

The Trade Union of Railway Employees is planning another strike for November 7, shortly after the locomotive drivers' strike last week, writes metro.hu.

The railway officers are protesting against the Economy and Traffic Ministry's decision to close 38 railway lines. The ministry closed 19 lines in March, and now wants further closures, which are professionally unfounded, according to the trade union.

Trade Union chairman István Gaskó points out that several of the lines to be closed have been renovated recently, while the bus lines intended to replace rail services are far from sufficient. Moreover, though the ministry argues that by closing the lines, railway company MÁV could save Ft billions per year, data about the savings from closures in March has not been reported yet, which indicates that the closures have not resulted in savings.

The proposal of the ministry that local authorities could take over the operations on the lines, without any state funds cannot be realized as cash-strapped local governments would not be able to run these lines independently. The chairman calls the ministry's suggestion cynical and ungenerous. He adds that the strike, reported to be held from six to eight am, is only the beginning, and they will continue to protest until they achieve their goal.

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