A Day in May in Hungary
May Day is more or less meaningless for a great many people in this brave new world
May Day in Hungary was a little different this year than usual. This was because three different holidays or anniversaries were celebrated at the same time: traditional May Day, the first anniversary of EU accession, and Mother's Day. As a result, some were uncertain of what exactly they were celebrating.
Of the three to choose from, the one dedicated to the working class was perhaps the least prominent. In many ways, this should come as no surprise since with the onset of globalisation workers rights and solidarity have been steadily eroded.
In Hungary the working class itself has been more or less destroyed, replaced by an underclass of individual "general entrepreneurs". This new class of worker, while under the illusion that they are better off than their traditional counterpart because of the lexical association of being an entrepreneur ( i.e., they are their own bosses), are in fact slightly better off than the serfs of old. Because they are their own boss, they are burdened with the costs and bureaucracy associated with employing themselves.
Meanwhile, regulations covering safety in the workplace no longer applies since the responsibility of worker safety now lies with the individual entrepreneur and not the employer. Consequently, in most cases general entrepreneurs accept sub-standard working conditions and low wages since they are a lot easier to hire and fire than their traditional counterpart. Finally, worker solidarity is non-existent as the concept of a union and the right to organise doesn't exist for entrepreneurs. Along these lines, May Day is more or less meaningless for a great many people in this brave new world.
This doesn't mean that for those lucky enough to be employed in the traditional way things are much better. Worker solidarity has likewise been almost demolished for this class of worker. In many of the large multinationals which operate within Hungary, workers are not even organised. Those who are able to organise, however, find that belonging to a union is not that much of an advantage. Since the fall of communism, the role of unions have been primarily to make the loss of employment "easier" as opposed to fighting for workers rights. Thus, for this class of worker May Day represents more of a lament for the "good old days" as opposed to hope for the future.
The first EU year: not everyone is happy with EU membership
Given this sorry state of affairs, it can be seen why the emphasis this year for official May Day celebrations was placed not on the working class but, instead, on the first anniversary of Hungary's accession to the EU. Hungarian eurocrats from all political sides were in agreement that the first year of EU membership was a success, and expressed their optimism for the future.
Elsewhere, the anniversary was marked with a similar upbeat assessment. For example, the business channel, CNBC Europe, noted in one of its segments (Europe This Week) that for the ten new member states joining the EU has been a positive move and an overall success. Among some of the glowing statistics thrown about was the average growth rate of 5% last year (and an expected rate of 4% for the coming year) as well as a 20% jump in exports to the EU.
While the statistics bantered about appear impressive, in many cases they cover the entire 15 year accession period and not merely the past year of EU membership. Still, there is no doubt that for some countries accession to the EU does represent a marked increase in the standard living. Most of those who seemed to have benefited from EU expansion are from the former Soviet Union, namely the Baltic States of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. Ironically, those who appeared not to do so well are the same countries that were considered the most advanced of the East Bloc nations prior to the regime changes of 1989. Yet this doesn't only apply to former communist countries: Malta is an example of a country that seems to have so far benefited little from EU expansion.
Along these lines, behind all the official smiles and handshakes not everyone is happy with EU membership. Hence, in some countries May Day this year provided little cause for celebration. While EU skepticism is present throughout the ten new member states -- and in some places has grown considerably over the past year -- in Hungary the bitterness toward the failed promises of EU membership is perhaps most apparent. This is because prior to the regime changes of 1989, Hungary was considered the most advanced of the communist states, often referred to the "happiest barracks in the Soviet Camp". Since then, whichever statistic you happen to look at -- from Internet penetration to macro-economic forecasts -- Hungary usually lingers at or very near the bottom. In other words, the anticipated boom and benefits of EU membership have failed to materialise.
Over the past year, Hungary's woes have been going from bad to worse. In 2004 the government ran a budget deficit of over 5%, the balance of payments was around 9% in the red, and over the past two years the national debt rose one and a half times. Meanwhile, Hungary's GDP has declined while foreign investment flows have likewise gone down. To date, Hungary has been unable to meet any of the four Maastricht Treaty criteria required for the introduction of the euro. Indeed, with perhaps the exception of the Czech Republic, all other new members to the EU will have made it to the eurozone before Hungary. The first of the new members expected to adopt the euro as a currency are Estonia and Latvia in 2007.
All this has had a knock-on effect, as the Hungarian government has come under pressure to cut spending and increase revenues. This, in turn, has meant tax increases and prices rises, along with a cut in the number of public sector jobs and services. Subsequently, for workers in this sector -- and the population at large -- there was little reason to celebrate the first anniversary of EU membership.
Still, everyone loves a free party so the events planned were a moderate success nonetheless. And for those disillusioned by the economic and political state of affairs which have, in essence, made a mockery of May Day, there was still Mother's Day to turn to. Yet even here, the holiday was overshadowed by the same concerns which plagued the the first anniversary of EU membership.
Instead of taking time out to celebrate mothers and motherhood, many used the occasion to dwell not only on the hardships that mothers face in the present economic climate, but also on the fact that the number of mothers in countries like Hungary are in steep decline. As in most western countries, Hungary is suffering from an aging population, exacerbated in large part by a declining birth rate. A prime reason for the latter, according to experts, is that the cost of living coupled with a pessimistic outlook for the future has many couples thinking twice about starting a family and raising children.
Thus, in the end, despite all the events and parties which took place, May Day this year in Hungary was somehow empty, without a soul. In many ways, it was a reflection of a globalised society, in where happy smiling people mask the fear and trepidation that constantly lingers in the air. In effect, the parties and events planned provided an opportunity to momentarily turn off and escape from the concerns of the present, as well as forget about the past and not even think of the future. To paraphrase Macbeth, it was like a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.