If a person does not want to be vaccinated, they will be sent on unpaid leave, and after a year they can be dismissed.Continue reading
A Dunaföldvár-based company is paying its employees an unprecedentedly generous bonus if they get vaccinated. Those who take the third dose of the vaccine receive a net sum of HUF 360,000 (EUR 976), almost four times the monthly net minimum wage in Hungary.
Three weeks ago, government announced they would give employers the right to require vaccination against Covid-19 as a precondition of employment. The published regulation came into force on November 1st. Based on press reports, it seems that relatively few employers have decided to mandate vaccination in Hungary so far, but there have been a few that made use of their newly acquired right.
Some companies have tried to encourage their employees to get vaccinated by offering positive incentives rather than making it compulsory. However, what biorefinery company Pannonia Bio, based in Dunaföldvár, has done is unprecedented in Hungary.
In addition to making coronavirus vaccination compulsory, the company is also giving a very substantial bonus to its employees.
For each of the first and second doses, they give net HUF 175,000 (EUR 475) to their employees. The amount is quite significant in Hungary, as it is twice the current monthly net minimum wage.
Those who decide to get the third jab get an even heftier bonus: the company is paying a total of (net) HUF 360,000, which is four times the monthly minimum wage. Even those who had already been vaccinated are to receive the above-mentioned bonuses. The upper limit of the total bonus has been set at HUF 360,000.
However, employees who, despite the generous sum, still cannot be convinced to be vaccinated, will be sent on unpaid leave from January 1st, unless they can prove with a medical certificate that they cannot be vaccinated for health reasons.
Featured photo illustration by Tibor Rosta/MTI
