In November 2002, last minute-talks averted a strike by flight attendants at Malév, the Hungarian national airline. Management and the flight attendants' trade union reached an agreement to increase the per diem allowance paid to attendants, and to increase their maximum annual number of flight hours.
On 30 October 2002, having failed to reach an agreement with management, the Association of Hungarian Flight Attendants (Magyar Légi-utaskísérők Egyesülete, Hunacca) called a strike, to begin at midnight on 3 November, at Malév, the Hungarian national airline. Some 85% of Malév’s 400 flight attendants are organised by Hunacca and, according to the trade union's president, 80% of the attendants supported the industrial action. The strike was called with the aim of obtaining an increase in the 'per diem' allowance paid to flight attendants for time spent away from home after flight hours.
The per diem is an important source of income for flight attendants, and can amount to as much as about half of their income. The current per diem is USD 9.30 per hour, and the union had demanded an increase to USD 15. Malév, however, offered a raise to USD 10 for the remaining months of 2002 and proposed a new scheme to enter into force on 1 January 2003. The proposed new scheme introduced a differentiation in the amount of the per diem, depending on hours flown in a month. Those flight attendants who fly less than 50 hours a month would receive an hourly per diem of USD 10, while those flying more hours would receive a considerably higher rate. Malév also proposed to raise the upper limit for flight hours stipulated by the relevant collective agreement from 700 to 900 hours per year.
Last-minute talks, which began in the afternoon of 2 November, proved to be successful and an agreement was reached a few minutes before the planned commencement of the strike. The agreement provides for a general 20% increase in the per diem and the introduction of a new scheme as of 1 January 2003. Under the new scheme, the per diem is USD 10 per hour for those attendants with less than 450 flight hours per year, USD 12.50 for those with 450-650 annual flight hours, and USD 15 for those with over 650 annual flight hours. Currently, flight attendants fly an average of 650 hours per year. It has also been agreed to raise the upper limit for annual flight hours by 15%, to 800 hours. Both parties are reported to be content with the agreement reached and feel that it is a 'win-win' compromise.
Although the agreement helped to avoid a disruptive strike by flight attendants, Malév is still to face the annual wage bargaining round. In the context of rapidly rising wages, it is likely that other unions represented at the airline will demand significant wage raises, too.