Hungarian government faces teacher strikes and traffic blockades
Budapest (dpa) - Demonstrators set up partial roadblocks across Hungary and teachers staged a two-hour strike on Friday in unlinked protests aimed at the government.
In various locations across the country, anti-government protestors set up partial roadblocks to demand that "those responsible for the current moral and economic crisis in Hungary leave their jobs."
The protests are aimed primarily at Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, the man whose admission that he lied to the nation about the state of the economy before April's general elections sparked riots and widespread protests in September and October.
However, Laszlo Garamvolgyi, spokesman for the national police, told MTI news agency that the roadblocks were causing no major delays. The roadblocks were expected to remain in operation until early evening.
Meanwhile, thousands of teachers staged a two-hour strike in the morning in protest at a new law that means they can be forced to work extra hours without overtime pay.
The strike was supported only by the smaller of the teachers unions, while the largest union said that it would call a strike in February if wage negotiations do not bring about results. // © 2006 DPA
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