NPR

Protests Grip Hungary In Response To Overtime Measure That Critics Call A 'Slave Law'

The new law allows employers to ask staff to work up to 400 hours per year of overtime — but employers can delay payment for up to three years.
Demonstrators protesting against recent legislative measures introduced by the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stand outside parliament on Dec. 16, 2018 in Budapest, Hungary.

Updated at 7:33 p.m. ET

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, a darling of Europe's far-right, has tightened his grip on power in ways that have shocked the European Union.

His ultranationalist Fidesz party has gamed the electoral system, shut down most independent media, forced out an American university and even created new administrative courts that will be directly controlled by the government.

But none of these measures have generated the type of outrage in Hungary that has greeted a new law that allows employers to ask staff to work up to 400

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR5 min read
Here's This Year's List Of The Most Endangered Historic Places In The U.S.
The National Trust's annual list includes Eatonville, the all-Black Florida town memorialized by Zora Neale Hurston, Alaska's Sitka Tlingit Clan houses, and the home of country singer Cindy Walker.
NPR6 min readSocial History
For Many Missouri Catholics, Abortion Rights Means Choosing Between Faith, Politics
The state is shaping up to be big battleground over abortion rights in November. Research shows a majority of U.S. Catholics supports abortion rights — even though church leadership does not.
NPR2 min read
3 Salad Recipes To Segue From Winter To Spring
Think of these three salad recipes as an introduction to a new season, a combination of color, textures and bright spring flavors. They are light but substantial and satisfying enough to be a main course for lunch or dinner. 

Related Books & Audiobooks