Ader signs amendment to labour code

President Janos Ader has signed an amendment to the labour code, the president's office said on its website on Thursday. In a statement published on the website, Ader said he had assessed the amendment approved by parliament on December 12 from three aspects. First of all, he established that the amendment was compatible with the constitution. Secondly, he compared the new overtime regulations with those in force in other European countries and found that in several countries, including the UK, Denmark, Ireland and the Czech Republic, the allowed overtime is equal or more than in Hungary. Thirdly, he assessed how the amendment would affect Hungary's 4.5 million employees and whether the guarantees protecting them decreased. Ader said the new law does not weaken the protective regulations affecting employees. Increased overtime can only be applied after preliminary written approval by the employee and the employer must not punish those who are unwilling to work overtime, he added.