Citing ATV Híradó, Hungarian business daily Világgazdaság reported that the planned average pay increase of 15 per cent in 2027 had prompted considerable dissatisfaction. As 80 per cent of ambulance service employees are classified as healthcare professionals, the dispute affects most of the workforce.
Union calls for dialogue
Tibor Lengyel, who heads an organisation representing ambulance workers, said the idea of strike action had been raised among employees. No stoppage has been announced at this stage. Lengyel said he remained hopeful that the dispute could be settled through talks.
He does not expect a mass exodus, pointing to ambulance workers’ commitment to their profession. Their representatives are nevertheless calling on the government to introduce a new pay structure and career model as soon as possible.
Health economist Csaba Dózsa told ATV Híradó that a 15 per cent rise would only preserve the real value of wages at their 2024 level and would not represent an actual increase. According to Dózsa, a pay package of HUF 250 billion was still being discussed in mid-summer, but the amount has since fallen to HUF 190 billion. He attributed the reduction to other pressing costs, including improvements to primary care, funding for high-value medicines and the financial consolidation of hospitals.
Competing views on the pay offer
Zoltán Komáromi, a healthcare spokesman for the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK), said previous decision-makers and employee representatives shared responsibility for the anger because they had failed to exert sufficient pressure on successive healthcare administrations. In his view, the gap between campaign promises and financial reality could encourage more workers to leave the sector.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar offered a different assessment, arguing that Hungary had not seen a pay settlement of this scale for many years. He also referred to the strained public finances inherited by his government.
Minister Zsolt Hegedűs said the government had not promised an immediate rise of 20–25 per cent. He argued that the planned average increase of 15 per cent, combined with a reduction in personal income tax, could lift net earnings by as much as 17 per cent for some employees.
The Ministry of Health has invited the unions concerned to talks on Friday. Világgazdaság did not give the venue or a detailed agenda for the meeting.
Source: Világgazdaság
