As we reported, the workers of the Hungarian State Opera went on strike on March 19, as they could not reach an agreement with the institution’s management regarding their benefits and the burdens on them. As a result, the same day Don Giovanni-the first three quarters of an hour of the performance took place without the participation of the orchestra, and the strike affected the performances until March 24, when the parties agreed to suspend the strike and that a final agreement would be reached by April 30.
On April 26, the Hungarian State Opera House and the trade unions issued a statement about the end of the strike and the agreement reached, which is published below without changes.
Joint statement of the Hungarian State Opera House and the opera unions
On April 25, 2024, the general director of the Hungarian State Opera and the presidents of the trade unions representing 1,332 employees signed a new Collective Agreement regulating the internal life and operation of the institution. At the same time as this act, the two interest groups withdrew their joint call for a strike in February, as a result of which work was suspended for 5 days from March 19 in some galleries of the OPERA, thus making it impossible to hold the performances normally. The strike was suspended on March 24 with an interim agreement concluded the previous night, which led to intense negotiations between the parties for a month.
In addition to the new Collective Agreement, the new wage agreement established by the interim agreement will also come into force, as a result
the salary of the employees of the Hungarian State Opera reaches or approaches the salary of the artists and staff of other prominent Hungarian cultural organizations.
Opera workers have already received the first half of the new cafeteria allowance, HUF 140,000, on a SZÉP card, and the signing of the new employment contracts that have been prepared will begin in the next few days. In the first round, the parties agree on a 10% wage increase, the payment of which is due from July 1, 2024. The second stage means a 20% (non-cumulative, calculated at the salary level of March 1, 2024, but retroactive to July 1) basic salary increase, due on October 1, 2024. As a result of the increases, the basic salary will be increased by around 15% for the 2024 budget year, and the full annual effect of the agreement will take effect in 2025. Through the increase of personal allowances and the correction of expense reimbursements and other settlements, the amount with which OPERA supports the performance of its employees will increase by approximately HUF 4 billion.
At the same time, the management of the Hungarian State Opera decided to double the number of summer performances, to amend the published program plan for 2024/25, to adopt institutional cost-saving measures,
on the creation of new ticket price and discount structures, as well as on the introduction of brand new sales elements in order to raise funds for the Collective Agreement and wage improvements. The Hungarian State Opera House will provide detailed information on this later.
With all of this, the threat of a strike at the Hungarian State Opera has ended, and the parties consider the collective labor dispute that has been going on between them since 2017 closed. In the spirit of this, the one taking place on Saturday Boris Godunov premiere of the original version and all other performances can be held safely and within normal limits.
| Hungarian State Opera House represented by Dr. Szilveszter Ókovács director general | Union of Hungarian Musicians and Dancers President of the basic organ of the Opera House | Independent Trade Union of Opera House Workers president |
Header image: The auditorium of the Hungarian State Opera House (photo/source: Berecz Valter / Hungarian State Opera House)
