“The last offer from the employers in the third round of negotiations would have provided for a deal over a period of two years and was below the full inflation compensation,” says Markus Petritsch, chairman of the road department in the vida union. It was therefore decided to present the offer to the union members for a vote.
Rejection by members
The members clearly rejected it with a large majority of 76 percent. “We have an obligation to our members. It is therefore clear to us that we will continue to enter into the upcoming negotiations with employers on May 22nd with the clear demand for full inflation compensation and a noticeable real wage increase,” emphasizes Petritsch
“Although not as drastically as in the last two years, life in Austria is still becoming significantly more expensive – people have to be able to pay their bills for energy, food, loan installments and rent,” Petritsch continued. If employers had offered an average increase of 7.1 percent from April 1, 2024, the rolling inflation of 7.8 percent on which the negotiations were based would not even have been compensated. From April 1, 2025, wages would have been increased once more by annual inflation plus just a quarter of a percentage point. “It’s no wonder that the majority of employees rejected this offer. We demand appreciative wage increases. After all, the freight forwarding industry is booming. Therefore, the employees must also receive their fair share of economic success,” concludes Petritsch.
