Gächter, August
Bill aims to combat organised illegal work
27 januari 1999
On 20 January 1999, the Austrian government agreed on a bill aimed at
combating organised illegal work. The addition of the word "organised" - that
is, with entrepreneurial intent - is the key difference from the proposal
that had been circulated in October 1998 (AT9810106F [1]). The new
legislation, on the assumption that it is enacted by parliament, is planned
to take effect from 1 July 1999. A number of industries, namely construction,
hotels and restaurants, cleaning services and transport, will then have to
report any new employee to the social security administration on the first
day of employment. The administration will set up a call centre for this
purpose, but it will not accept faxes or e-mails. For all other industries,
the first-day rule will be effective from 1 July 2000. Currently they have
three days to report. Main contractors will be responsible for the payment of
regulation wages by subcontractors, and they will have to carry out at least
50% of work themselves.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/draft-legislation-seeks-to-curb-illicit-work
National Action Plan on Employment poses challenges
27 januari 1999
In 1998, the number of people in employment in Austria rose by 22,000 or 0.7%
to 3,077,000 on annual average. At the same time, unemployment also rose,
with the annual average standing at 237,794, up from 233,348. History thereby
repeated itself: over the period that the economy was growing at an annual
average of 3.85% between 1988 and 1991, unemployment was scarcely reduced in
the first two years and actually increased in 1990 and 1991. This poses a
challenging background for Austria's National Action Plan (NAP) for
employment (AT9804180N [1]). As with the other EU Member States, Austria has
drawn up an NAP in response to the Employment Guidelines [2].
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/measures-to-complement-austrian-national-action-plan-on-employment
[2] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/empl&esf/empl99/guide_en.htm
New rules on flexible parental leave
27 januari 1999
The Austrian government, on 21 January 1999, decided to bring parental leave
regulations closer into line with the EU Council Directive (96/34/EC) on
parental leave [1] (TN9801201S [2]). Parents, if the mother was employed
during the pregnancy, are currently entitled to 24 months' leave, which has
to be taken before the child turns two years old. From 1 January 2000, the
age limit for the child concerned will be extended to eight years old. The
rule whereby parental leave is limited to 18 months, if the father does not
take at least six months, remains unchanged. The parents, after the birth,
will have eight weeks instead of four to decide on the division of the leave
between them. There will now be another period later on during which parents
will have to declare how they intend to split up the remainder of the leave
between them. Following adoption of a child aged between two and eight, the
parents will be entitled to six months' leave.
[1] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=31996L0034&model=guichett
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/erm/comparative-information/the-eu-parental-leave-agreement-and-directive-implications-for-national-law-and-practice
Public sector bank restructures
27 januari 1999
In the wake of privatisation and greater profit orientation, the Austrian
banking sector is undergoing a process of forming larger enterprises or
strategic partnerships. This has been coupled with a reduction in staff that
has been accomplished by encouraging retirement (AT9901121F [1]). The
forthcoming sale of the Post Office Savings Bank (Postsparkasse, PSK) is
another such instance. The government intends to sell 49% of PSK, which is
currently fully owned by a state-owned holding company.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/industrial-relations-undefined-working-conditions/new-issues-emerge-in-1999-banking-bargaining-round
Sparks fly in the electricity generation industry
27 december 1998
On 2 December 1998 the Metals, Mining and Energy Trade Union (Gewerkschaft
Metall-Bergbau-Energie, GMBE), the Union of Salaried Employees (Gewerkschaft
der Privatangestellten, GPA) and the Association of Electricity Producers
(Verband der Elektrizitätswerke Österreichs, VEÖ) concluded an agreement
on wages and salaries in the electricity generation industry, backdated to 1
November 1998. Minimum salary rates are being raised by 3.1% and wage rates
by 3.7%. Depending on their current level, actual salaries and wages are
being raised by between 2.5% and 2.9%. The deal covers 25,000 employees in
400 companies
Industrial relations controversy in Austrian automobile cluster
27 december 1998
Autocluster Styria is an invention of the provincial government of Styria
(Steiermark) in Austria. It comprises 150 plants and research sites, all
engaged in one aspect or other of automobile manufacturing, that began to
cooperate actively in 1996. They range from very small to fairly large sites
and together employ more than 11,000 people, several thousand more than in
1996. Some 20% of the province's exports now originate from this industry.
The provincial government has invested ATS 20 million in making the cluster
idea work. However, from 1999 the subsidies will be terminated, as was made
clear from the beginning, and cooperation will have to be financed by the
companies themselves on the one hand and the trade unions on the other. The
unions are now baulking at the prospect of self-financing.
1998 Annual Review for Austria
27 december 1998
The first half of 1998 in particular was characterised by unexpectedly
buoyant economic growth. In the second half of the year, growth slowed from
over 4% in the first two quarters to 2.7% in the third quarter, with a final
annual rate of 3.3%. However, these high economic growth rates failed to
translate into significant increases in employment. Indeed, contrary to the
previous year's predictions (AT9712165F [1]), unemployment did not decline to
4.3% but rose to 4.5% from 4.4% in 1997. Inflation was reduced to 1.2% and
the overall public deficit stood at 2.2% of GDP.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/1997-annual-review-for-austria
Public service employment reform concluded
27 december 1998
A long battle to start phasing out tenure in the Austrian public service came
to an end on 4 December 1998. The Christian Democrat-dominated Public Service
Trade Union (Gewerkschaft Öffentlicher Dienst, GÖD) had been pitched
against the Social Democrat Federal Ministry of Finance (Bundesministerium
für Finanzen, BMF), and the Christian Democrat Austrian People's Party
(Österreichische Volkspartei, ÖVP) against the Austrian Social Democrat
Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs, SPÖ). The two parties are
respectively the junior and senior partners in the coalition government. The
BMF's declared goal was to limit tenure to a few areas vital to national
security. The GÖD, however, was adamant that top civil service positions
should be filled only by tenured employees of the state (AT9807198N [1]).
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/negotiations-continue-over-civil-service-reforms
Sectoral agreements for crafts enterprises under threat
27 november 1998
A collective agreement covering the 57,000 salaried employees in craft
enterprises in the metalworking sector was concluded on 4 November 1998.
Minimum pay rates were raised by 3.7% and actual salaries by 2.5% - the same
increases as had previously been agreed for blue-collar workers' wages. The
agreement is to take effect from 1 January 1999 and to run for one year. By
comparison, from 1 November 1998 increases in wages and salaries in
industrial enterprises in the metalworking sector were respectively 3.7% and
2.9% (AT9810108N [1]).
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/pay-round-in-manufacturing-sectors-completed
Sunday working controversy resurfaces
27 november 1998
After a lull, the Sunday working issue (AT9712151F [1]) resurfaced in October
1998 with a vengeance, largely owing to an attempt, begun in February, by the
Upper Austrian provincial executive of the Austrian Trade Union Federation
(Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund, ÖGB) to initiate a referendum against
Sunday working. In April, the local bishop presented a petition containing
270,000 signatures against Sunday working to the government. The ÖGB's
largest member trade union, the Union of Salaried Employees (Gewerkschaft der
Privatangestellten, GPA) passed a resolution on 12 November in favour of the
referendum.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-industrial-relations-law-and-regulation-business/sunday-work-recent-debates-and-developments