Jobbik's wage union initiative can create a Central and Eastern European alliance

The president of Jobbik, Gábor Vona announced on 18th November 2016 that as there are 18 months to go until the next elections, he will make commitments on the 18th day of each month, which will form the core of their governance as a people's party and the bridge-building. His second personal commitment was the fight for leveling wages in Europe. To reach this goal he wants to launch a European Citizens' Initiative to make the wage union be part of the alliance's basic principles. ”Equal wage for equal work” is the main idea of Jobbik's proposition. To launch the European Citizens' Initiative and make the European Commission put the question on the agenda, one million signatures have to be collected in seven member states within one year. For this purpose Jobbik's international delegation started a Central and Eastern European tour to collect allies. In Bulgaria the Bulgarian Patriotic Front, in Croatia the patriotic party of the Croatian youth, GO!, in Estonia the Conservative People's Party of Estonia and in Latvia the Latvian National Alliance welcomed the delegation. In Slovakia and Romania private individuals connected to Jobbik help the Hungarian opposition party's initiative, while in Slovenia  - although still subject to confirmation - an independent MP who is founding a new party. In the beginning of March Jobbik's delegation is to meet members of the Polish trade union Solidarity.

”Our initiative is well received from the first moment”, Márton Gyöngyösi told Alfahír. He stressed that the problem of leveling wages in Europe is especially important in the Baltics because compared to their population, they have the biggest outward migration of young people.

„What we say about wages falling behind in Hungary is exponentially true in the Baltic countries”, he stated. According to Márton Gyöngyösi it's a general conclusion that since these countries have been trying to catch up with neoliberal economic policies and decrease differences in the standard of living – especially since their EU membership – instead of approaching the Western standard of living, they moved away from it.

„A young Estonian has two choices: to stay home and work for starvation wages in the assembly plant of a multinational company or to move abroad”, the Jobbik politician drafted the reality of the Baltics.

Márton Gyöngyösi warned that if the youth, who are eager to do something, have ambition and have just finished university, leave the societies with failing demographics, it can have a devastating effect on the tax system, health care, pension system and can start a collapse which can have unforeseeable consequences.

„We either stop this process or Central and Eastern Europe must face an economic-social trauma”, the politician said. He also added that even if there's a suitable correction, it can take decades to reach positive results. Márton Gyöngyösi highlighted that the wage union is Western Europe's interest too, where the free movement of workers causes more and more tension and antipathy towards Eastern European immigrants. He added that the Eurozone can't be strong as long as the economic policy of the EU is draining resources from the peripheries to the center.

„This will eventually mean the end of the Eurozone and the Union. A policy which continues in this direction towards instability is short-sighted”, he added.

Regarding the wage union the Jobbik politician stressed the importance of a long-term goal, a specific issue which can be a starting point for Central and Eastern Europe on the way of self-identification.

„Central and Eastern Europe has a special fate, situation between East and West. Finally, we have to turn to each other and find common solutions to our common problems, break up with the self-destructive policy of letting ourselves be divided and influenced by the big powers from the East and West”, he stated.

Márton Gyöngyösi said that in the near future they plan to organise a conference in Budapest, where in the framework of a formal act, at an international press conference they would announce the petition for the European wage union.