Hungary: protests against proposed law that will allow companies to demand 400 extra hours of work per year (in brief)

Following calls from trade unions in Hungary, some 5,000 people turned out to protest in Budapest on Saturday 8 December against what has been dubbed the “slave law”. Tabled by policy-makers from the right-wing Fidesz party, headed by Victor Orban, the bill proposes increasing the legal limit on overtime hours from 250 per year to 400, while the reference period for calculating working time would be extended from 12 to 36 months. Several parliamentary committees have said they are in favour of the changes, provided these are permitted by means of a collective agreement. Parliament is to examine the text on Wednesday 12 December.