RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE 9 February 2000

HUNGARY'S RAIL STRIKE BECOMES LONGEST IN COUNTRY'S HISTORY.
The strike staged by the Hungarian Railworkers' Union
entered its ninth day on 8 February, making it the longest
rail strike in the country's history. The protestors are
demanding an 11 percent wage increase and collective
contracts. Marton Kukely, head of the Hungarian Railways
Company (MAV), said the strike has caused a loss of 648
million forints ($2.5 million), thus reducing the annual
earnings of workers by an average of 12,000 forints ($46).
The daily "Nepszabadsag" reports that unions are prepared
to accept an 8.5 percent increase if the funds earmarked
for wages increases are not cut as a result of losses
caused by the strike. MSZ 

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