Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1989. január-június (43. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1989-05-18 / 20. szám
Thursday, May 18. 1989. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO 11. A WCKD IN EDGEWAYS When joint ventures were first being encouraged in Hungary, it used to be that in the promotional material (at least in that which was for foreign consumption) one of the main advantages of investing in Hungary was said to be the low cost of labor. To put it in another way - wages and salaries were low. Though to be fairer and more accurate it would be better to say "low, relative to the highly developed countries and at existing financial rates of exchange." A number of things have been happening on the labor front in the past six months or so which may, if only in the long run, seriously qualify the above position. I am thinking in particular of the stirrings in the trade union movement, which include both the setting up of independent unions and changes in the official trade union movement. The Democratic Union of Scientific Workers was established last year as an independent union; independent, that is from any political party and from the National Council of Trade Unions (known in Hungary by the initials SZOT). Although primarily aimed at white collar workers in the fields of technology, science and higher education, it has members in all branches of the economy, including such 'unscientific' fields as journalism. Being the first such independent union, it has managed to generate a lot of noise, if not a great deal of action. Nevertheless, its formation and presence in the labor market, so to speak, is significant. SZOT has also been changing, partly as a response to the "threat" posed by independent unions, partly due to pressure from below, and partly out of a genuine MONIMPEX Foreign Trade Co. boosted its wine exports to USA and Canada in 1988. Canadian firms have bought Hungarian wine for more than 2 million US dollars in the past year. This means that the turnover had tripled in 3 years, while Canadians consumed less imported wine - both proportionally and in absolute figures - in the given period. Lower amounts of even the favored West-European wines were purchased, while Hungarian wine came into favor both in the retail and in the catering trade. The wine range marketed under the brand name "St. Stephen's Crown" enjoys wide popularity: it includes six kinds of wine and is an excellent publicity for Hungarian products, generally, Hungarovin wines enjoy special favor in the Canadian market. In the US, sales of Hungarian wine have increased fivefold in three years and fetched over one million US dollars in 1988. The Balaton-Boglár wines have enjoyed the greatest popularity but other wines from other regions have also won the consumers' preference. In view of the growing demand, MONIMPEX desire to protect employees interests in the face of inflation and the possibility of unemployment. Again, there has been much noise and, so far, little action, though the fact that SZOT has been mumbling aloud with threats of a general strike as a protest against the current economic conditions is of some significance. After all, such a "politically motivated" strike by the official trade union movement in this part of the world would clearly be of headline importance. In a sense, all that is going on is a natural and logical consequence of loosening up the economy and giving greater play to market forces. You can't introduce greater play for demand and supply of products without expecting related changes in the labor market. Employees who feel their position is worsening, and who also feel that state centralization is a thing of the past, are liable to want to get organized. Certainly this is bringing about demands for higher pay. Whether this will actually result in higher pay is another question. Almost everybody agrees about one thing - there is little money around at the moment in the economy. But the emergence of a stronger 'trade union consciousness', to use the Marxist jargon, is bound to effect industrial relations generally. It is not necessarily a bad thing. Western managers are used to dealing with independent unions, and often welcome their participation. The outcome depends on the quality of the trade union, and, of course, on that of the management as well. Bob Dent (From Hungarian Trade Union Journal) is seeking the ways to widen the export range. The Company is currently negotiating with a number of vineyards and wine firms on the purchase of further amounts for export. Interest is now converging on wine made by small individual producers. These would be supplied to Canada and the United States with individual brands, after local bottling; the first samples of this kind were quickly sold in the overseas retail network. WING BEAT A collection of Eagle Woodcuts by the Master-Woodcutter Joseph Dómján. Introduction written by Dr. G.E. Pogány, Director-General of the Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest. Dr. Pogány writes in the introduction: ...There are many artlovers here in Hungary who remember well Joseph Dómján and the highlights of his artistic beginnings. In honor of his graphic work he received the Munkácsy medal and the Kossuth medal. In the country of Bartók and Kodály, What standing does the U.S. have to seek a global effort against pollution? President Jose Sarney of Brazil, in an angry reaction to American criticism of development in the Amazon Basin earlier this year, declared that industrialized countries like the United States do the most harm to the global environment. "They discharge their wastes into the atmosphere damaging the ozone layer, and they still stockpile nuclear arms which can destroy humanity two or three times over," he said. "They are the worst plunderers." The United States each year produces five tons of carbon dioxide for every man, woman and child in the country. Carbon dioxide is the most significant of the gases building up in the atmosphere and accumulating heat from the sun to produce global warming. The next largest producer is the Soviet Union, with annual per capita emissions of three and a half tons. The world average is under one ton. The United States continues to permit the export of agricultural chemicals banned in this country as dangerous to human health or the environment. The United States continues to lead all industrial nations except Canada in the amount of energy used per unit of production of goods and services. Fuel consumption is the principal cause of air pollution and global warming. The United States has the highest automobile density among large countries. Moreover, its auto fleets - one car for every 1.8 people - burn more gasoline per mile on average than those of other industrialized nations. The United States accounts for nearly a third of all use of chlorofluorocarbons, the most important of the chemicals depleting the ozone layer. The United States has not entered into an agreement sought by Canada to reduce the pollution that sends acid rain north of the border. The United States has not ratified the Law of the Sea treaty governing use of the marine environment. The United States is spending little to protect Hawaii's plants and animals. The 50th state has the highest number of endangered species for its size of any area in the world. The United States, which gets most of its crude oil by tanker, did not develop the advanced technology needed to clean up marine oil spills, like the one that has devastated Alaka's coastline. it is not difficult to find the secret of Dom- jan's world-wide success. This beautiful volume was published in the USA in 1976. It contains appr. 100 woodcuts in black and white. It is in hardcover and could be a very valuable present to your friends and family members. It can be obtained at the Editorial office of the Hungarian Word, 130 E 16 St. New York, N.Y. 10003 for only $ 5.- plus $ 2.- for postage and handling. TRADE AGREEMENTS EXPORTS AND IMPORTS Success of Hungarian wines in Canada and the USA
