1987. Különkiadvány, 1987.10.01 / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2

involved; bút this question concerns alsó tbe National Assembly, becauee Hungary'a thare of the investment costa vili be a beavy burden on the State budget.

3. Legal Protection fór Employees, Representation of Interests, and Freedom of Association

Tbe repeatedly off-again-on-again reform procesa launcbed 20 yeara ago has barely altered tbe aituation of employees. Tbe only meaningful change has been tbe abolition of the official restrictions on freedom of employment, in 1968. An attempt vas made in tbe early 1970's to restore, tbrough compulsory measures, tbe restrictionB on the movement of the lover ranks of blue-collar vorkers, bút tbe institution of a mandatory labor exchange —unsuccessful anybov—vas scrapped after 1979. Othervise the relationship betveen employee and employer has remained the same as before. Tbe vaBt majority of employees are performing tbeir assigned vork under tbe same conditions of dependence as 20 years ago; if dissatisfied vitb anything, they can choose betveen asking nicely or giving notice.- Tbe National Assembly enacted tbe Labor Code in 1967, before the launching of the reform process. Since then it has been amended by a lav and several lav decrees, bút tbere has nőt been any comprehensive revision of labor lav.- The centralized and vertical structure of the trade unions, modeled on the Soviet trade unions in Stalin's time, has nőt changed at all during the entire period.- The introduction of enterprise self-management—on paper—is the greatest change in the sy6tem of enterprise management since the nationalization (nőt counting the 1956-1957 interlude, the formation and subsequent liquidation of vorkers* councils). Bút a large proportion of the employees have nőt even noticed that anything happened; or if they have, they are vieving it 86 the trade unions' attempt to create various név positions fór the bigvigs.

Parallel vith the next economic reform, it vili be necessary to broaden:- The Citizen's freedom of employment;- His rights to, and opportunities fór, the representation of his interests; and- Control of the self-management type over the enterprise's management.

3.1 Employment Free of Official Interference

Employment is a voluntary, priváté agreement betveen the employer and employee. It cannot vest the employer vith official povers, and it is incompatible fór a public agency to exercise the employer's right6.

Let employment be voluntary.- The obligation to vork prescribed in the Constitution (Section 14,

Paragraph 2) is in conflict vith tbe principle that vage labor is the

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