On May 22, 2026, the National Federation of Workers’ Councils held an election in Balatonföldvár: The 100 delegates in attendance unanimously elected Imre Szilárd Szabó, a lawyer and university lecturer, as the organization’s president. In recent years, he has represented hundreds of employees and trade unions in various litigation and administrative proceedings. The federation currently represents approximately 40,000 members and 61 member organizations across fifteen sectors of the national economy. Its major member organizations have already established contact with the relevant ministers of the new government in several areas, and substantive interest reconciliation has also begun in the healthcare sector.
As a national organization representing workers’ interests, the National Federation of Workers’ Councils is constructively prepared to address the challenges of the coming period regarding the labor market and labor law legislation, while also expressing its hope that employment policy will ultimately be given appropriate professional weight and a meaningful role within the emerging government structure.
The delegates expressed their gratitude for the work of the outgoing presidency, with special recognition for Imre Palkovics, a key figure in the Hungarian trade union movement following the transition to democracy, who led the organization for 35 years.
