Teachers in Hungary threaten 1-hour strike on March 30

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Hungarian teachers protesting the government's education policies say they will hold a one-hour strike on March 30 unless leaders apologize for their intimidating treatment and initiate meaningful negotiations on education reforms.

High school principal Istvan Pukli told tens of thousands of protesters outside parliament on Tuesday that the strikes would grow longer until "this government understands that it cannot go against the country."

Pukli called on Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Janos Ader to apologize by March 23 for the government's actions over the past six years against those "who spoke about Hungary's future or their own rights" and to hold negotiations on education policy.

The government has vowed to address some of the teachers' main gripes, including extreme centralization and increased bureaucracy.