Unions continue to demand 12.9 percent, works councils gather before the next round of KVs in Vienna
Vienna (OTS) – On March 31, the second round of collective agreements for the 60,000 employees in the electrical and electronics industry (EEI) took place. The round of negotiations was characterized by intensive discussions, but had to be interrupted without any result. The trade unions PRO-GE and GPA will now increase the pressure and discuss the further course of action together with the works councils on April 17 in Vienna. At this conference, precautionary measures should also be decided if the next round of negotiations on April 19 also fails.
The PRO-GE and GPA unions continue to demand 12.9 percent more wages and salaries and once once more refer to the economic upswing in 2022 with five percent and the strong growth in the industry. This applies to sales, the order situation, investments and the number of employees. There is also no particular reticence to be observed when it comes to profit distributions. The inflation rate relevant to the negotiations from March 2022 to February 2023 is 9.5 percent.
“We want a decent increase in real wages for employees and, above all, sustainable increases. 12.9 percent is a strong demand, but also a fair demand in view of the very good economic results and inflation,” says the chief negotiator for the employees, Rainer Wimmer (PRO-GE) and Karl Dürtscher (GPA). In this context, the two trade unionists once more criticize the weakness of the federal government in terms of economic policy, because the domestic inflation rate is still very high. Compared to other EU countries, the Austrian government has apparently failed in the fight once morest high inflation, according to Wimmer and Dürtscher. Inflation might have been contained with price-dampening measures and better price controls. However, many of the unions’ proposals were rejected or completely negated by the government.
“The employees are not responsible for this mess and will therefore not forego permanent wage and salary increases. On the contrary, together with the works councils, we will ensure that the collective bargaining agreement negotiations ensure that purchasing power and economic success are maintained also goes down well with the employees,” emphasize Wimmer and Dürtscher.
Other union demands in this round of EEI collective agreements include the introduction of additional vacation days, depending on the length of the employment relationship. In concrete terms, there should be an additional day of vacation following five, ten, 15 and 20 years. In the area of shift work, the weekly working time is to be reduced to 36 hours per week. In addition, the trade unions are once more demanding easier access for employees to the leisure option, in which the actual increase can be permanently converted into additional leisure time. So far, the company can refuse this conversion without giving reasons, so there should be a legal right for the employees in the future.
The lowest entry-level wage in the EEI is currently EUR 2,037. The new collective agreement with higher wages and salaries should come into effect on May 1st.
Questions & contact:
PRO-GE public relations
Mathias Beer
Tel.: 01 53 444 69035
Mobil: 0664 6145 920
E-Mail: mathias.beer@proge.at
Web: www.proge.at
GPA Public Relations
Mag. Martin Panholzer
Tel.: 05 0301-21511
Mobil: 05 0301-61511
E-Mail: martin.panholzer@gpa.at
Web: www.gpa.at
