The general elections held on 24 November 2002 saw substantial gains for the conservative People’s Party (Österreichische Volkspartei, ÖVP) - the larger party in the previous coalition government - which won more than 42% of the vote. The ÖVP Chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel, has since carried out exploratory talks with all other parliamentary parties in order to build a new coalition government, which have not yet reached an outcome. At the same time, the ÖVP has developed a programme which should act as guidelines for the future government.
In January 2003, the conservative People’s Party, which will be the senior partner in Austria's next coalition government, announced plans to restructure Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) by splitting it up into several divisions. The GdE rail workers' trade union sees this as a preparation for privatisation of the company, and has threatened strike action to oppose it.
The general elections held on 24 November 2002 saw substantial gains for the conservative People’s Party (Österreichische Volkspartei, ÖVP) - the larger party in the previous coalition government - which won more than 42% of the vote. The ÖVP Chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel, has since carried out exploratory talks with all other parliamentary parties in order to build a new coalition government, which have not yet reached an outcome. At the same time, the ÖVP has developed a programme which should act as guidelines for the future government.
One part of the ÖVP programme is a thoroughgoing set of restructuring measures for Austrian Federal Railways (Österreichische Bundesbahnen, ÖBB). These measures include the transformation of ÖBB into a holding company, heading several independently-operating enterprises specialising in infrastructure, sales, personnel management and financing. Furthermore, the separate Track Financing Company (Schienenfinanzierungsgesellschaft, Schig), which finances railway construction and maintenance of by charging a toll for using the tracks - and which has accumulated debts of almost EUR 4 billion (for most of which the state is liable) - would be integrated into the new holding company.
Only a few months after the last dispute concerning ÖBB restructuring – when engine drivers refused to work overtime (AT0211201N) – the Union of Railway Employees (Gewerkschaft der Eisenbahner, GdE) has again threatened to call for industrial action. When Chancellor Schüssel presented the ÖVP’s programme on 6 January 2003, GdE immediately expressed its willingness to organise a strike lasting several weeks if the planned restructuring is realised. Wilhelm Haberzettl, the chair of GdE, strongly rejects any attempts to split up ÖBB, arguing that this would be the first step to the privatisation and sell-off of the whole company. Moreover, Mr Haberzettl has accused the ÖVP of anticipating the outcome of negotiations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) - the multilateral rules on international trade and competition in the services sector - by efforts to dismantle and privatise public infrastructure.
Both partners in the current caretaker government - the ÖVP and the populist Freedom Party (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ) - more or less agree that the ÖBB needs restructuring. If these parties again form the new government, the railways are likely to face a major industrial dispute. The full liberalisation of the European Union railway market on 15 March 2003 will oblige the government to instal an independent administrative body to allocate 'slots' for using the tracks by railway companies – a task which at present is performed by the quasi-monopolistic ÖBB itself. This too may prove a controversial issue.
Eurofound recommande de citer cette publication de la manière suivante.
Eurofound (2003), Railway employees threaten strike over restructuring, article.
