By Pablo Gorondi Associated Press Writer Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Budapest, Hungary -- Several trade unions and civic groups held a series of strikes and protests Wednesday against the Socialist-led government's plans to privatize health insurance and close some railway lines.
Clashes erupted briefly at one rally near Budapest's Kossuth Square outside parliament after protesters refused a police order to disperse, but there were no immediate reports of injury or arrests.
All train services in Budapest, the capital, were canceled Wednesday morning, as were numerous train and bus lines across the country. The rail strike lasted six hours before services began to return to normal. Work stoppages were also held at some schools, electricity plants and Budapest's Ferihegy airport.
The government said the strike had caused only minimal disruptions, claiming that most of the members of the different unions which supported the work stoppage showed up at work.
Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany and his governing coalition have began introducing plans for major reforms in the health and pension sectors and already have shut down dozens of unprofitable railway lines.
The planned switch from a state-administered health insurance system to private insurers has drawn the biggest opposition although final details of the plan are still being discussed in parliament.
Opponents, including the Hungarian Chamber of Doctors, say private health insurers, by seeking to make profits in the sector, would break with a long-standing tradition of "social solidarity" and would leave the poor and those already suffering from health problems without adequate coverage.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/11/21/international/i1 84833S95.DTL
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