Railway co. holds firm in face of strikers' demands

The third day of a rail strike ended without employee representatives of Hungarian national railways MAV and company representatives settling their differences on Tuesday, so the rolling strike that has been intermittently disrupting train services across the country since February will continue.

Negotiations are scheduled to resumed on Wednesday morning.

MAV's press chief Imre Kavalecz told reporters after the talks that the company simply would not make the payment on MAV's privatisation revenues the union demanded nor was it in a position to give a 10 percent pay rise to outsourced workers.

The Free Union of Railway Workers (VDSZSZ) is determined to continue the strike until an agreement is reached, VDSZSZ head Istvan Gasko said earlier in the day. Some 30-40 percent of rail workers are on strike, which is costing MAV some 700 million forints (EUR 2.6mn) a day in lost revenues, he said.

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