Adam, Georg
More flexible working time rules introduced
16 Septembris 2007
On 1 August 2007, the Austrian parliament (Nationalrat [1]) endorsed an
amendment to the Working Time Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz, AZG) with support only
from members of the coalition government parties. The amendment, which was
based on a draft bill jointly presented by the social partners on 3 May 2007,
provides for greater working time flexibility [2]. The new legislation also
adopted almost all of the proposals presented in the working time chapter of
the government programme (Regierungsprogramm 2007–2010 (in German, 415Kb
PDF) [3]) of the coalition government of the Social Democratic Party
(Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs, SPÖ [4]) and the conservative
Austrian People’s Party (Österreichische Volkspartei, ÖVP [5])
established in January 2007 (*AT0702029I* [6]). The more flexible working
time regime aims to better accommodate both the various sector-related
business demands and employee needs in terms of work-life balance [7].
[1] http://www.parlament.gv.at/portal/page?_pageid=888,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/flexibility
[3] http://www.austria.gv.at/DocView.axd?CobId=19542
[4] http://www.spoe.at/
[5] http://www.oevp.at/
[6] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/government-seeks-more-working-time-flexibility
[7] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/worklife-balance-0
Social partners agree to minimum wage increase
29 Jūlijs 2007
On 2 July 2007, the President of the Austrian Trade Union Federation
(Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund, ÖGB [1]), Rudolf Hundstorfer, and the
President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (Wirtschaftskammer
Österreich, WKÖ [2]), Christoph Leitl, signed an agreement ‘in
principle’, which aims to introduce a national minimum monthly gross pay
rate of €1,000. The signatory parties agreed to establish the new minimum
wage across all sectors of the national economy through sectoral collective
agreements, at the latest by 1 January 2009. Sectors affected by the
agreement will include textiles and leather, food manufacturing and several
branches of the private services sector, such as hairdressers, pedicurists,
cosmeticians and taxi drivers. It is estimated that between 20,000 and 30,000
employees will be affected by the agreement.
[1] http://www.oegb.at/
[2] http://portal.wko.at/
Dispute over future pay scheme at Austrian Airlines
22 Jūlijs 2007
On 22 May 2007, the parties to collective bargaining signed an agreement on
behalf of about 3,500 ground staff of the Austrian Airlines group (AUA [1]),
the country’s national air carrier. This agreement marks the temporary end
of a serious conflict lasting several months, when negotiations over a
follow-up collective agreement for commercial and technical staff ended in
deadlock after the previous agreement had elapsed on 31 October 2006.
[1] http://www.aua.com/at/deu
First collective agreement for universities signed
27 Maijs 2007
Like several other former public authorities (*AT0307203F* [1], *AT0203202F*
[2]), Austrian universities changed from the status of a public authority to
the status of a corporation with legal capacity in 2002 – a system known as
/Ausgliederung/. Restructuring of the universities has thus led to
semi-private, ‘hybrid’ employment relations, since the civil servants who
were appointed before restructuring have maintained their public law
employment status, whereas employees who have been employed since 1 January
2004 are recruited under a private law employment contract. The University
Act 2002 (/Universitätsgesetz/) on university restructuring introduced the
private sector model of industrial relations, by equipping the
newly-established National University Federation (Dachverband der
österreichischen Universitäten [3]) as the umbrella employer organisation
with the right to bargain.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/restructuring-of-public-services-challenges-union-demarcation-lines
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/industrial-relations-in-posts-and-telecommunications-examined
[3] http://www.reko.ac.at/dachverband/
Latest union merger part of ongoing process
21 Maijs 2007
On 6 and 7 December 2006, the newly-established vida [1] trade unions [2]
held its founding congress in Vienna in the presence of some 774 delegates of
the three predecessor unions. At this event, the union was officially set up
as a result of the merger of the former Union of Railway Employees
(Gewerkschaft der Eisenbahner, GdE), the blue-collar Commerce and Transport
Union (Gewerkschaft Handel, Transport, Verkehr, HTV) and the blue-collar
Hotels, Catering and Personal Services Union (Gewerkschaft Hotel,
Gastgewerbe, Persönlicher Dienst, HGPD).
[1] http://www.vida.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=S03/Page/S03_Index&n=S03_0
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/trade-unions
Social partners agree on measures to combat social security fraud
21 Maijs 2007
In mid April 2007, the respective Presidents of Austria’s two major social
partner organisations, Christoph Leitl of the Austrian Federal Economic
Chamber (Wirtschaftskammer Österreich, WKÖ [1]) and Rudolf Hundstorfer of
the Austrian Trade Union Federation (Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund,
ÖGB [2]), agreed on measures aimed at preventing social security fraud in
companies. According to the social partner proposal, employers should in
future be obliged to register their employees with the relevant social
insurance institutions before the commencement of work or on the day of
commencement at the latest.
[1] http://portal.wko.at/wk/startseite.wk
[2] http://www.oegb.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=OEGBZ/Page/OEGBZ_Index&n=OEGBZ_0
Union seeks greater autonomy from confederation
02 Maijs 2007
From 22 to 24 January 2007, the Austrian Trade Union Federation
(Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund, ÖGB [1]) held its sixteenth general
congress (/Bundeskongress/), the ÖGB’s highest governing body, at the
Austria Centre Vienna (ACV [2]). At its congress, the trade union federation
adopted the first step of an internal restructuring process; this was deemed
necessary in the wake of the conflict related to the financial scandal
concerning the Bank for Employment and Commerce (Bank für Arbeit und
Wirtschaft AG, BAWAG [3]) and the former ÖGB leadership’s involvement in
this controversy (*AT0604019I* [4]). The applications and proposals for a
comprehensive reform of the trade union submitted at the congress were
largely based on the results of ballots and regional conferences organised
throughout the country during the autumn of 2006 (*AT0611029I* [5]).
[1] http://www.oegb.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=OEGBZ/Page/OEGBZ_Index&n=OEGBZ_0
[2] http://www.acv.at/evo/web/acv/2268_DE
[3] http://www.bawag.com/bawag/home/nav.html
[4] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/union-president-forced-to-resign-over-bank-scandal
[5] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/disagreement-over-future-role-of-trade-union-federation
Social partners hold differing views on parents’ right to work part time
26 Aprīlis 2007
The right to part-time work for parents of pre-school age children was first
introduced by the then conservative-populist coalition government on 1 July
2004. The aim of the initiative was to facilitate the reconciliation of work
and family commitments, in particular for mothers of small children
(*AT0310201N* [1]). The parental part-time work scheme stipulates that all
parents with children younger than seven years of age (or older in case of
the postponement of their school entrance) are entitled to switch from
full-time to part-time employment, or to alter their working time while
retaining the volume of daily working hours during the working day. To avail
of this scheme, the following preconditions must be met:
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/right-to-parental-part-time-work-proposed
Partial opening of labour market to workers from new Member States
26 Aprīlis 2007
According to the industry branch of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber
(Wirtschaftskammer Österreich, WKÖ [1]), the country’s businesses are
suffering from a chronic shortfall of skilled domestic workers, at least in
certain occupations. In particular, WKÖ reports a considerable shortage of
welders, milling machine operators and turners, mechanics and toolmakers in
metalworking. Consequently, WKÖ and a number of individual employers have
reiterated their demands that access to the domestic labour market should be
facilitated for skilled workers from the central and eastern EU Member States
which acceded to the European Union on 1 May 2004.
[1] http://portal.wko.at/
Government seeks more working time flexibility
09 Aprīlis 2007
On 11 January 2007, the new coalition government of the Social Democratic
Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs, SPÖ [1]) and the
conservative Austrian People’s Party (Österreichische Volkspartei, ÖVP
[2]) was inaugurated by Austria’s Federal President (/Bundespräsident/),
Dr Heinz Fischer. In its government programme (Regierungsprogramm 2007–2010
(in German) [3]) for the coming legislative period 2007–2010, the new
government outlined its plans to amend Austria’s working time regime, with
the aim of introducing greater working time flexibility. When formulating the
chapter on working time, the relevant political parties largely adopted a
joint proposal devised by Austria’s major social partner organisations in
the autumn of 2006.
[1] http://www.spoe.at/
[2] http://www.oevp.at/index.aspx?pageid=737
[3] http://www.bundeskanzleramt.at/DocView.axd?CobId=19542