'Slave' laws, German capital and labor management in Orban's Hungary.
Overtime right now is capped at 250 hours a year. I'm assuming that BMW asked for 400 hours per year, plus they don't have to pay that overtime for three years. You work the overtime, you don't get the pay and you have to stick around until they pay you. This is what triggered the protests here. They started in Budapest with the labor unions, but very quickly the political parties jumped in.
Our Man in Budapest, Todd Williams reports on the effects of Hungary's new 'slave law' - an unpopular series of changes to overtime and pay regulations that served to unite Prime Minister Orban's opposition, but not enough to challenge either Orban's power or Hungary's long trend of labor flexibilization for Western European capital.
Todd and Chuck referenced the articles The Political Economy of Hungary’s New “Slave Law” and Protesting the “slave law” in Hungary: The erosion of illiberal hegemony? from LeftEast.
Guest
Todd Williams
Todd Williams is an African-American from Sacramento, California who has lived in Budapest, Hungary for the past 26 years, mostly by chance.
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