President János Áder has signed an amendment to the labor code, it has been announced.
The president said he had assessed the amendment approved by parliament on December 12th from three aspects. First of all, he established that the amendment was compatible with the constitution.
Secondly, he compared the new overtime regulations with those in force in other European countries and found that in several countries, including the UK, Denmark, Ireland and the Czech Republic, the allowed overtime is equal or more than in Hungary.
Finally, he assessed how the amendment would affect Hungary’s 4.5 million employees and whether the guarantees protecting them decreased.
President Áder said the new law does not weaken the protective regulations affecting employees. Increased overtime can only be applied after preliminary written approval by the employee and the employer must not punish those who are unwilling to work overtime, he added.
The president said the amendment to the labor code must not hinder the peaceful celebration of Christmas and the upcoming holiday period. President Ader wished all citizens of Hungary a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.