Workers of the Budapest Transport
Company (BKV) are preparing for an all-day strike on Friday after
unions and the management failed to arrive at a compromise in
negotiations lasting until late Wednesday.
BKV is responsible for all public transport in the city of
nearly 2 million and the work stoppage will last from midnight to
midnight despite management’s promise to shelve plans to fire 300
workers. Management also agreed to involve the unions in devising
plans to streamline operations.
BKV spokeswoman Karola Kiricsi said the management invited the
unions to resume talks at 0800 on Thursday.
Strike committee spokesman Gabor Nemes said the two sides would
continue talks next Tuesday. Should the government or the Budapest
municipality, which owns BKV, make any concession influencing the
Friday strike, the unions will return to the negotiating table, he
added.
BKV held a half-day strike on April 7, which caused havoc in the
city heavily reliant on its public transport and ill-equipped to
accommodate too many cars.
Transport workers to donate blood during strike
Striking public transport workers in
Budapest are planning to donate blood during their one-day stoppage
on Friday, the spokesman of the strike committee said on Thursday. Several thousand workers are expected to participate in the
scheme in order to reduce the strike’s negative effects on blood
supplies.
The National Service of Blood Supplies reported on Wednesday
that the half-day BKV strike on April 7 had resulted in the
cancellation of several blood-donation schemes with the subsequent
loss of 300 units of blood.
The service said the upcoming strike on Friday is expected to
result in the loss of 200 units of blood and this would pose a
danger on blood supplies in Budapest.
