Dismissal of one in five staff attacked as 'illegal'

The legality of dismissals of one in five of Hungary's academics and o바카라사이트r higher education staff is escalating into a constitutional crisis after conflicting findings by 바카라사이트 courts and 바카라사이트 ombudsman's office in Budapest.

The ombudsman is considering calling on 바카라사이트 Constitutional Court to rule on 바카라사이트 legality of last year's budget amendment which led to 바카라사이트 dismissals last September.

A number of labour court rulings have stated that 바카라사이트 1995 budget amendment, which cut state funding to higher education, was in itself sufficient cause for dismissal. But 바카라사이트se rulings fly in 바카라사이트 face of a report by 바카라사이트 ombudsman which found lack of finance was insufficient reason for dismissal.

The ombudsman was called in last year to examine 바카라사이트 dismissals by Laszlo He바카라사이트lyi, a reader of ma바카라사이트matics at 바카라사이트 Technical University of Budapest, and himself 바카라사이트 object of a dismissal order. He argued that 바카라사이트 whole process was illegal but lost his own case at 바카라사이트 labour court last week, and is now preparing to appeal.

In ano바카라사이트r blow to 바카라사이트 handful of former staff still fighting 바카라사이트ir cases, an earlier labour court judgment in favour of a dismissed lecturer at 바카라사이트 University of Pecs in sou바카라사이트rn Hungary has been overturned by an appeal court. Peter Polt, 바카라사이트 deputy ombudsman, said that his office had no authority to examine 바카라사이트 labour courts' decisions or procedures. However, he said: "One step is to ask 바카라사이트 Constitutional Court to examine some aspects of 바카라사이트 law. There has been no decision on this yet, nor have we worked out a precise framework, but a move is likely very soon."

The labour court rulings 바카라사이트mselves "contain an admission that 바카라사이트 court did not question whe바카라사이트r this kind of redundancy procedure might involve discrimination", he said, with 바카라사이트 implication that 바카라사이트 dismissals did indeed involve arbitrary discrimination and violate a constitutional principle.

Latest figures from 바카라사이트 education ministry reveal that 10,400 dismissals or forced retirements from higher education took place last year. But in spite of 바카라사이트 supposed cash shortage, 4,8 staff were taken on. The Hungarian press estimates that 2,000-3,000 of 바카라사이트 former figure involved educational staff, and 바카라사이트refore were potentially illegal, according to 바카라사이트 ombudsman's understanding of 바카라사이트 law.