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The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has called for the introduction of the euro and the European minimum wage as “the only way out of Hungarians’ subsistence crisis”.
László Varju, the party’s deputy leader, told a press conference on Monday that “the flawed economic policy of the Orbán government, a record weak forint and skyrocketing prices have led to our money losing its value, and we can afford less and less from the same salary.”
Despite a 4 percent raise in February, the minimum wage is still worth less than last year, Varju said.
Varju insisted that the “current subsistence crisis” had been created by the government and could only be resolved by a change of government in the general election next spring.
Varju said that should DK’s candidate, MEP Klára Dobrev, become prime minister, she would work to accelerate Hungary’s accession to the euro zone. She would also introduce the European minimum wage to ensure that “rather than just surviving on their salary, Hungarians can make a living at almost European levels.”
Besides western European countries, the minimum wage in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and “even Romania” is now worth more than that in Hungary, he said.
“Those fighting the introduction of the euro actually mean to say that Hungarians’ work is worth less than that of others,” he said.
Featured photo by Tamás Kovács/MTI
