Rail strike ends, but dispute lingers

The Free Union of Railway Workers called off its strike from midnight last night, union leader István Gaskó announced at a press briefing. The eight-day strike had caused widespread chaos on Hungary's railways.

State railway company MÁV said trains would be not running on time until early Wednesday morning, in part because stationary trains and locomotives will only be re-started following time-consuming technical inspections.

Gaskó said the union continues to stick to its demands and will walk out again if the strike committee so decides.

Union officials made no progress in talks with MÁV management earlier in the day, neither on their demands nor on minimum services during the strike. Talks will resume today.

Transport Minister Csaba Molnár told reporters on Monday that there is growing evidence that political motives are behind the rail strike, as Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán said in a video message posted on his website that strikes could be used to pressure the cabinet to resign.

In December 12 remarks, Orbán said it is a question whether the nation will be capable of achieving change by exerting pressure on the cabinet with strikes and the will of the people, and the European parliamentary elections, Magyar Hírlap writes.

Gaskó blamed the management for not managing MÁV properly and said even greater responsibility rests with the Prime Minister, who, he said, saw to it that the talks would bear no fruit.

The union demands a one-off payment of Ft 250,000 to all railway workers from the privatisation revenues of MÁV Cargo, and a 10% outsourcing supplement for workers of MÁV subsidiaries.

Someone hacked into the union's website and posted a false report that the union would terminate the strike at 8 p.m. on December 22 and never start it again.

Parliament's budget committee convened at Fidesz's initiative yesterday to find a solution to the conflict. However, the Socialists did not vote for the agenda of the meeting and it was soon adjourned.

Regional bus company Volánbusz announced on Monday that it would run an additional 100 long-distance buses on December 22 and 23.

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