Ombudsman László Székely had asked the top court to review local council regulations which excluded people from public employment schemes for three months if they failed to keep their living environments tidy.

Székely had argued the measure led to discrimination, breached the principle of equal treatment and had no reasonable constitutional purpose.

The court said it had established that public workers who earned less than the minimum wage generally belonged to the most vulnerable members of society.

There is no valid justification for introducing special rules affecting only public workers among jobseekers, the court said, adding that this resulted in concealed discrimination based on the persons’ financial conditions.

Moreover, restricting personal freedoms and fundamental rights on public-interest grounds is unwarranted, it said.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.