A strike that brought Hungary's rail network to a near-standstill on Monday is set to continue, union leaders announced after failed talks with management, dpa reported.
"Negotiations with the employer on Monday did not lead to any change in standpoint," said Istvan Gasko, head of the Free Union of Railway Workers (VDSZSZ) at a press conference.
The VDSZSZ is demanding a ten-per-cent wage rise and a one-off payment of 250,000 forints (1,283 dollars) for every employee of Hungarian State Railways (MAV) from the proceeds of the recent privatisation of MAV Cargo, the spun off freight wing of the loss-making state-owned firm.
MAV spokesman Tibor Szigulinsky said after the meeting that neither party had made any concessions. "During the talks, the rail company reaffirmed its earlier position that it cannot fulfill the demands of the union," he said.
So far the government has shown no inclination to embroil itself in the rail dispute, saying that management and workers must settle their differences between themselves.
"The law precludes the ministry from putting any kind of pressure on the striking workers. Its one important task is to monitor and ensure transport safety," said Transport Minister Csaba Molnar.
The industrial action began in the east of Hungary at midnight on Saturday, and was extended nationwide at 6 pm (1700 GMT) on Sunday. Hungarians woke up on Monday morning to find that there were no longer any inter-city or international services at all.
The three main railway stations in the capital Budapest were completely deserted, with only a handful of departures scheduled to leave and a few local trains bringing commuters in. The situation was similar in other cities around the country.
The effects of the rail strike were felt outside Hungary, too. In Kiev, a Ukraine Ministry of Transport official said train traffic was at a complete halt at all crossing points on Hungarian border.
The strike stopped all freight and passenger trains moving between the two countries. Ukraine's Ministry of Transport was attempting to re-route outbound trains through Belarus and Romania, and recommending travelers to avoid the Hungarian rail system, the Interfax news agency reported.
The ongoing rail strike is the second major disruption to Hungary's transport network in less than a week. Workers at Budapest's Ferihegy International Airport began industrial action on Wednesday.
Since then, lengthy queues, delays and cancellations have become the norm at Hungary's only major international airport as only one of three passenger terminals is in operation, staffed by a skeleton crew.
On Monday morning, Gasko, said that even if MAV were to meet his union's demands, rail workers would continue their strike in solidarity with the Budapest airport employees.
Additional disruption is in store for the capital on Thursday as bus drivers at Budapest Public Transport Company have announced a half-day strike for Thursday morning in an ongoing dispute over the funding of the cash-strapped firm.