Steven N.
Népszava reports that while the base salary for Members of Parliament is expected to increase next year by more than 100,000 Ft. (US $307) per month, the monthly salaries of government-employed community workers will be exactly that amount, although it is only half of the minimum wage in the regular labor market.
According to a new government decree published in the Official Gazette, on January 1, 2022 the wage for full-time community work will only be 50% of the minimum wage. Thus the government has determined that if someone is employed in community work for eight hours a day, they can only get half as much as the minimum wage for a full-time worker in the labor market.
The monthly minimum wage in the labor market is set to increase in January to 200,000 Ft. ($614) for unskilled labor and 260,000 Ft. ($798) for skilled labor, which is for jobs that require at least a secondary education and some kind of vocational qualification. But since full-time community workers are entitled to half of this amount, they will earn a gross monthly wage of 100,000 Ft. and 130,000 Ft. ($399) for unskilled and skilled labor, respectively, as of January next year.
Népszava also points out that in accordance with current law, Parliamentary representatives should also see a pay raise next year.
According to the daily newspaper’s calculations based on a Fidesz-sponsored law passed in 2018, the base salary of Hungary’s MPs is expected to increase from 1,211,000 Ft. ($3,720) per month to 1,320,000 Ft. ($4,055), starting in March next year.
Thus the salaries of Members of Parliament will rise by nearly 110,000 Ft. ($337) per month, or more than the entire monthly salary of an unskilled community worker.
[Népszava]
