Adam, Georg

Only a year after the last amendment to the childcare benefit scheme (/Kinderbetreuungsgeld/), which came into effect on 1 January 2008, the newly formed coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs, SPÖ [1]) and the conservative People’s Party (Österreichische Volkspartei, ÖVP [2]) agreed to modify the scheme again. The aim is to render the scheme more attractive to men and women with a higher income, in that financial compensation for taking parental leave [3] should be increased in exchange for a shorter period of leave. More precisely, the current flat-rate scheme is planned to be extended by an income-related option. [1] http://www.spoe.at/ [2] http://www.oevp.at/ [3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/parental-leave

In early November 2008, major restructuring [1] plans affecting the Austrian Post Company (Österreichische Post AG [2]) were revealed by the media. According to an ‘internal strategy paper’ drawn up by the Austrian Post Company management and leaked to the media, the company’s current workforce of 24,000 employees is to be cut by 9,000 workers and the number of post offices is to be reduced from more than 1,300 at present to only 300 by 2015. This extensive restructuring programme was – after harsh trade union protests – withdrawn from the agenda of a supervisory board meeting held on 12 November 2008 and thus not decided upon at this event. However, management subsequently confirmed that substantial restructuring measures would be inevitable in the medium term to secure the whole company. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/restructuring [2] http://www.post.at/index.htm

This report examines the operations of social partner organisations and collective bargaining in the railways sector. The first part, focusing on rail operations, was carried out in 2006, while the second part, on rail infrastructure, was c...

On 26 September 2008, the trendsetting metalworking industry opened Austria’s autumn bargaining round, when the employee representatives formally handed over their joint list of demands to the employer side. This list mainly includes pay-related demands, particularly increases in minimum and real wages and salaries, plus equivalent increases in additional payments and apprentices’ remuneration. However, in terms of pay increases, the trade unions did not determine any specific percentages.

In September 2008, a long-standing debate about the finances of the nine Chambers of Labour (Arbeiterkammern, AK [1]) in the nine provinces (/Länder/) of the country was fuelled again by the populist Alliance for the Future of Austria (Bündnis Zukunft Österreich, BZÖ [2]) – a newly-founded party represented in parliament as a result of a split-off from the populist Freedom Party (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ [3]) in 2005 (*AT0512203F* [4]). Only about two weeks before the general elections on 28 September 2008, BZÖ presented a proposal aiming to reduce the so-called ‘Chamber of Labour levy’ (/Arbeiterkammerumlage/) for low-income earners – an issue that has been deemed popular by the party, particularly among low-skilled and poorly paid employees. The party argued that such a reduction would not only increase the wages and salaries of the most vulnerable employee groups, but would also help to lower non-wage labour costs [5] in general. [1] http://www.arbeiterkammer.at/www-18.html [2] http://www.bzoe.at/ [3] http://www.fpoe.at/ [4] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/government-plans-to-abolish-permanent-tenure-for-civil-servants [5] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/labour-costs

On 6 July 2008, the coalition government of the Austrian Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs, SPÖ [1]) and the conservative Austrian People’s Party (Österreichische Volkspartei, ÖVP [2]) abandoned a comprehensive reform of Austria’s health service system, which was due to be presented to the parliament later in the month. The reform aimed to secure the future of the national health service, which is currently in deficit. The draft reform was largely drawn up by the social partners on behalf of the government. The joint social partner draft had been adopted – in a slightly amended version – by the government cabinet on 4 June 2008. The Austrian Chamber of Doctors (Österreichische Ärztekammer, ÖÄK [3]), fearing substantial disadvantages for doctors bound by a service contract with a health insurance agency (/Krankenkasse/), strongly opposed these reform plans, together with many members of parliament from both governing parties. However, the health service reform eventually collapsed after coalition representatives failed to agree on the overseeing powers of a new health regulatory body. [1] http://www.spoe.at/ [2] http://www.oevp.at/index.aspx?pageid=30183 [3] http://www.aerztekammer.at/

This study sets out to provide the necessary information for establishing sectoral social dialogue in the sea and coastal water transport sector. First, the report identifies the relevant national organisations on both sides of industry. Se...

Telecommunications services were, along with postal services, long organised as a state monopoly in Austria. In 1996, this monopoly – namely, the state-owned Austrian Postal Authorities (Österreichische Post- und Telegraphenverwaltung, ÖPTV) – was transformed into an enterprise based on private company law, Post und Telekom Austria AG (PTA) (*AT0203202F* [1]). Since then, new employees have been recruited exclusively as employees under private law; however, all of the public employees of the former authority were transferred to PTA. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/industrial-relations-in-posts-and-telecommunications-examined

On 19 May 2008, the highest governing body (/Präsidium/) of Austria’s smallest trade union, the Arts, Media, Sports and Liberal Professions Union (Gewerkschaft Kunst, Medien, Sport, freie Berufe, KMSfB [1]), resolved to change its strategic orientation. Instead of seeking a far-reaching ‘cooperation’ with another trade union, as decided in 2006, the trade union now aims to merge with an ‘appropriate partner trade union’. According to the KMSfB leadership, a reformulation of the trade union’s strategic orientation has become inevitable in order to secure an effective union representation on behalf of its members in the future. [1] http://www.kmsfb.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=S02/Page/S02_Index&n=S02_0

The organisation of female entrepreneurs, Women in Business (Frau in der Wirtschaft [1]), in the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (Wirtschaftskammer Österreich, WKO [2]) has long criticised the tradition of women being significantly underrepresented in WKO bodies. At present, women make up almost a third of all WKO members, while occupying only 14% of the representative positions in WKO bodies. In order to redress this underrepresentation and to attach more value to women’s concerns, Women in Business calls for doubling the share of female representatives in WKO bodies by 2010. [1] http://portal.wko.at/wk/startseite_fiw.wk?DstID=281 [2] http://portal.wko.at/wk/startseite.wk