The Hungarian government was invited to submit a revised convergence programme update to the European Commission [1] by 1 September 2006, aimed at meeting the Maastricht criteria for joining the euro-zone (*HU0609029I* [2]). While preparing the programme, the re-elected socialist–liberal government
In October 2006, demonstrations organised by the government opposition continued in front of parliament, with demands that the Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurcsány, should step down and that the government should abandon the economic measures stipulated in its convergence programme aimed at meeting the
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Immediately after the general elections in April 2006, an influential group of business associations issued a manifesto entitled ‘Agreement for our future’, seeking widespread reforms in order to restore competitiveness (*HU0605019I* [1]). However, the Confederation of Hungarian Employers and
The parliamentary elections held in April 2006 were won by the coalition of the Hungarian Socialist Party (Magyar Szocialista Párt, MSZP [1]) and the Alliance of Free Democrats (Szabad Demokraták Szövetsége, SZDSZ [2]). Since the democratic transition in 1989, the current socialist-led coalition
Opel [1], the German-based subsidiary of General Motors (GM [2]), has announced the closure of its Azambuja plant, north of Lisbon in Portugal, affecting 1,100 jobs. In May 2006, the car manufacturer had also announced that the third shift at its Vauxhall Astra plant in Ellesmere Port in northwest
A key aspect of the April 2006 general elections for many of the trade unions was whether the coalition government of the Hungarian Socialist Party (Magyar Szocialista Párt, MSZP [1]) and the Alliance of Free Democrats (Szabad Demokraták Szövetsége, SZDSZ [2]) – which are amenable to social dialogue
Imprudent budgetary policies over the past few years have led to serious imbalances in the Hungarian economy and to a significantly high budget deficit. Against this background, 16 chambers of commerce as well as business and employer organisations have called for increased cooperation between the
The Suzuki plant, one of the biggest car assembly works in Hungary, was established in the city of Esztergom in 1992. Today, the plant produces the Ignis, Swift and the SX4 models for the European market and, in cooperation with Subaru and Fiat, it manufactures other models for these brands. In 2005
The trade unions and the employers' organisations in the Hungarian construction industry started negotiations for a sectoral collective agreement in 1995. After a series of failures, a new impetus was gained when the sectoral bipartite social dialogue committee for the construction industry was set