Adam, Georg
Small growth in sickness absence in 2003
15 februari 2004
Estimates released by the Association of Social Security Providers
(Hauptverband der Sozialversicherungsträger, HSV) at the end of January 2004
indicate a small growth in the average amount of sickness absence among
Austrian employees in 2003. According to these preliminary data, the average
number of days of sickness absence from work per employee stood at between
13.0 and 13.1 in 2003, up from an average of 12.9 days in 2002. Similarly,
the average duration of sickness absence per case increased slightly, from
12.2 in 2002 to 12.3 days in 2003. Moreover, the total of days of sick leave
grew from 36.4 million in 2002 to an estimated 36.7 million in 2003. However,
this corresponded approximately to the increase in the total number of
employees over this period. These figures refer to all employees in Austria
except for railway employees and career public servants (Beamte), thus
covering about 2.8 million workers.
Thematic feature - redundancies and redundancy costs
27 januari 2004
In November 2003, the EIRO national centres in each EU Member State (plus
Norway), were asked, in response to a questionnaire, to give a brief overview
of: the procedures and costs involved in collective redundancies - ie the
dismissal of a number of employees for economic/organisational reasons
(rather than reasons related to the individuals concerned); the levels of,
and reasons for, redundancies over recent years; and current debate on the
issue. The Austrian responses are set out below (along with the questions
asked).
Steel producers fully privatised
25 januari 2004
The state public holding company,Österreichische Industrieholding AG
(ÖIAG), was set up by law as a holding concern to administer and manage the
companies completely or partially owned by the state. In 1993, however, the
operational relationship between ÖIAG and its (still) state-owned
subsidiaries was dissolved by means of substantial restructuring measures.
Since then, ÖIAG's statutory role has been to sell off (ie privatise) its
state shares in companies. Thus, this institution changed from an operating
concern holding a set of shares in (partially) state-owned companies to an
executive privatisation agency which is mainly obliged to carry out the
privatisation of all these firms on behalf of the government. In this way,
most of the (former) state-owned industries have now been fully or partially
privatised.
First nationwide agreement signed for social and health services
05 januari 2004
The private social and health service sector is a growing segment of the
Austrian labour market. However, it is characterised by precarious and
inconsistent employment conditions, due to the vast number of different
organisations and establishments which supply services for groups such as
people facing underprivilege and discrimination, people with disabilities and
old people. Aside from public institutions such as regional (Länder)
governments and communities, there are about 2,300 small-sized and about 20
large private-law establishments providing social and health services,
including child and youth welfare, services for people with disabilities,
geriatric nursing, care for refugees and foreigners etc.
Restructuring of Austrian Federal Railways leads to strikes
16 december 2003
Workers at Austrian Federal Railways (Österreichische Bundesbahnen, ÖBB)
went on strike on 4 November 2003 and from 12 to 14 November 2003 (including
a continuous period of 66 hours). These strikes, which followed a two-week
overtime ban which started in mid-October, constituted the largest-scale
industrial action at the company since 1945.
Social partners propose new rules on unemployment benefit entitlement
09 december 2003
After intense negotiations between the social partners over recent months, on
25 November 2003 they agreed to propose a tightening of the 'provisions of
reasonableness' (Zumutbarkeitsbestimmungen) which govern the conditions under
which unemployed people may refuse a job offered by the Labour Market Service
(Arbeitsmarktservice, AMS) without losing their entitlement to unemployment
benefits (AT0303202F [1]). The social partners’ agreement provides that the
period during which unemployed people may refuse to take up a job unrelated
to their previous occupation (known as the Berufsschutz) should be reduced to
the first 100 days of unemployment. As a compensation, a 'pay guarantee'
(Entgeltschutz) should be introduced, whereby, for a period of 120 days from
the first day of unemployment, unemployed people may refuse a job offered if
the pay is below of 80% of the their previous earnings liable to unemployment
insurance contributions (Bemessungsgrundlage). After this 120-day period, the
minimum would be reduced to 75%.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/new-government-calls-for-eur-1000-monthly-minimum-wage
Thematic feature - social partner involvement in the 2003 NAP
17 november 2003
The European Union'sEuropean employment strategy [1] (EES) has been in
operation since 1997 (EU9711168F [2]). The strategy enables the coordination
of national employment policies at EU level and one of its main components
has been the adoption (on the basis of a proposal from theEuropean
Commission) by theEuropean Council of a set of annual Employment Guidelines
setting out common priorities for Member States' employment policies. The
Member States then draw up annual National Action Plans (NAPs) which describe
how these Guidelines are being put into practice nationally.
[1] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/employment_strategy/index_en.htm
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/employment-summit-agrees-limited-package-of-measures-to-combat-unemployment
Constitutional Court overturns reform of social security body
10 november 2003
In summer 2001, Austria’s coalition government of the conservative
People’s Party ( Österreichische Volkspartei, ÖVP) and the populist
Freedom Party ( Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ) amended the General
Social Insurance Act ( Allgemeines Sozialversicherungsgesetz, ASVG) in order
to reform the representational structure of the Association of Social
Security Providers ( Hauptverband der Sozialversicherungsträger, HSV) (
AT0108225N [1]). HSV, which is based on the principle of 'self government'
(Selbstverwaltung), is the central institution administering all aspects of
Austria’s social insurance system. In accordance with this principle, HSV's
main governing bodies are composed of representatives of the social partner
organisations.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/gb-mobilises-members-against-social-security-reforms
Austria's international unit labour cost position improves slightly
28 oktober 2003
In the long run, the competitiveness of a national economy – like that of
Austria – depends not only on company-related factors such as
innovativeness, quality of products and marketing, but also on 'macro'
criteria such as qualification of the workforce, industrial relations and
taxation. In the short run, however, currency rate variations in combination
with changes in labour costs and productivity are the most decisive factors
for competitiveness, in particular as regards companies in the sectors
exposed to international competition. Since Austria joined the third stage of
EU Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999, currency rate variations have
been relevant only for its trading relations with partners from outside the
euro-zone. In contrast, the other main competitiveness criteria - ie labour
costs and productivity- have gained in importance.
Thematic feature - works councils and other workplace employee representation and participation structures
21 oktober 2003
The issue of works councils and similar workplace employee representation and
participation structures is topical at present, with the EU Member States
required to implement the recent Directive (2002/14/EC) [1] establishing a
general framework for informing and consulting employees in the European
Community (EU0204207F [2]) by March 2005 (though countries which currently
have no 'general, permanent and statutory' system of information and
consultation or employee representation may phase in the Directive's
application to smaller firms up until 2008). The Directive applies to
undertakings with at least 50 employees or establishments with at least 20
employees (the choice is left to the Member States). It provides employees
with the following rights to information and consultation:
[1] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32002L0014&model=guichett
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/final-approval-given-to-consultation-directive