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Hungary – Thousands of protesters march against labour reform (France24)

07 January 2019

France24 reports that, on Saturday, approximately 6,000 people demonstrated in Budapest against nationalist-conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the latest of a wave of Hungarian protests targeting a labour reform branded a "slave law" by the opposition. The reform allows employers to demand that staff work from 250 to 400 hours of overtime a year and allows payment to be delayed by up to three years. The government says the law is needed to tackle Hungary's labour shortage and will enable those who wish to work more hours to earn more, however trade unions and other critics and political opponents have disagreed. Hungarian President Janos Ader signed the reform into law in December despite more than 10 days of sometimes violent clashes between demonstrators and police in Budapest and other cities. Previously, the law allowed for companies to demand a maximum of 250 hours of overtime in a given year.