Employer and employee representatives failed to narrow their differences over next year’s minimum wage at a meeting of the Permanent Consultation Forum of the business sector and government on Tuesday, with both sides agreeing to wait for third-quarter macroeconomic data before returning to the table.
Employers hold firm on 4%
Zs. Szőke Zoltán, ÁFEOSZ-COOP president, said employers’ proposal remains unchanged: a gross 4 percent increase to both the minimum wage and the guaranteed wage minimum next year. Szőke said the two sides were not close to an agreement at Tuesday’s talks.
Zlati Róbert, MASZSZ president, said wages for next year should instead be negotiated within a three-year wage agreement framework, taking account of the third-quarter macroeconomic figures. He said unions want to reach an agreement and will hold bilateral talks with employers, though no date has been set for those.
Budget plan also on table
Kármán András, Minister of Finance, told delegates the forum marked the start, not the end, of consultations on the government’s medium-term budget plan. He said the comments raised would be taken into account, and that the plan would be shared publicly on Wednesday.
Friday’s submission of next year’s budget was expected to give more precise information on personal income tax cuts, a detail that bears directly on how the employers’ wage proposal would translate into take-home pay.
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