Order of Labour

The Order of Merit for Labour (Munka Érdemrend) was a high decoration in Hungary during the years of state socialism. It was established by the National Assembly in 1953 and awarded by the Presidential Council of the Hungarian People’s Republic in recognition of outstanding work in various fields of society. Its predecessor was the Hungarian Order and Medal of Merit for Labour, established in 1948.

It originally had no classes, but was made a three-class decoration (gold, silver and bronze) in 1963. By 31 December 1986, the gold class had been awarded to 18,860 people, the silver to 40,649, and the bronze to 46,641.

Decorations with similar names existed or still exist in numerous other former or current socialist countries (Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Belarus, Yugoslavia, Moldova, Romania and Vietnam), as well as outside them (France, Italy and Spain).