HATC SAMPLE EDITION:    Politics & Foreign Relations    Economic News    Business News    Other News of Interest    All stories	16th December, 2025 Staff cuts at OBI draw union criticism The OBI DIY chain has begun nationwide staff reductions, affecting at least 118 employees, according to the retail workers union KASZ. The layoffs started in late November, prompting particular anger among workers because of the timing, just ahead of the Christmas period. Zoltán Karsai, the union’s president, said management has yet to provide official information on either the precise reasons for the cuts or the ultimate scale of the redundancies. The KASZ also questions the economic rationale for the decision as OBI Hungary reported a Ft 14.2 billion profit after taxes in 2024 on revenue of Ft 147.9 billion. With government housing renovation subsidies and construction industry incentive programmes supporting demand this year, the union argues that financial pressure does not convincingly explain the layoffs. Sources regularly consulted, with abbreviations used in text: Népszabadság (N); Magyar Hírlap (MH); Világgazdaság (VG); Napi Gazdaság (NG); Magyar Nemzet (MN); Népszava (Nsz); Kossuth Rádió news (KR); nightly TV news (TV).
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