The wages of hundreds of thousands of people, mainly working in humanities – hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and social services – will increase by about 700 billion forints at the beginning of the year, the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Human Resources announced on Thursday morning on the current channel M1.

Bence Rétvári said: due to the coronavirus epidemic, several countries are struggling to reach their pre-crisis level of economic performance, but in Hungary, economic expansion of over six percent was measured last year, which created the economic cover for wage increases this year.

At the time, the left handled the crisis badly, made wrong decisions: closed schools, dismissed teachers and took a month's salary from teachers, he said. On the other hand, now - during the coronavirus epidemic - the government has increased teachers' wages by 10 plus 10 percent, he pointed out.

The situation is similar for social workers and health workers: the former received a 20 percent and the latter a 21 percent wage increase at the beginning of the year, while doctors - after a multi-step wage increase - could have their salaries increased by up to two and a half times.

"Few countries can say that they have managed the coronavirus crisis by increasing the salaries of doctors by two and a half times"

– emphasized Bence Rétvári.

He added that today in Hungary more people can work and earn more than during the left-wing governments. According to the government's plans, he continued, next year there will be another big salary increase for teachers and in the social sector.

The Secretary of State radio Kossuth Good morning, Hungary! he also said in his program that when the Fidesz-KDNP took over the government from the left, then 3.7 million people worked, and today there are 4.7 million, then the minimum wage was HUF 72,500, and today it is HUF 200,000 and HUF 260,000 the minimum wage for skilled workers.

"This also shows that much fewer people are exposed to the risk of poverty"

- said Bence Rétvári.

MTI

Featured image: hirado.hu