Metaller-KV: Unions angry about FMTI offer, works council conferences are called

2023-10-09 16:52:15

“2.5 percent is disrespectful and means a massive permanent loss of real wages”

Vienna (OTS) – The collective bargaining negotiations for the approximately 200,000 employees in the metal industry continued on October 9th with the second round of negotiations between the trade unions PRO-GE and GPA and the Trade Association of the Metal Technology Industry (FMTI). This round was interrupted early Monday afternoon after five hours without result.

“The employer side actually wants to shirk responsibility, because the FMTI offer of 2.5 percent is well below the relevant inflation rate of 9.6 percent. Even the additional one-off payment of 1,050 euros offered can never compensate for the massive loss of real wages. It is also not sustainable and quickly fizzles out, while prices and financial burdens continue to rise. This is disrespectful to the employees, who have been able to afford almost ten percent less since the deal was completed last year and therefore fair and permanent wage and salary increases “urgently need it,” the two chief negotiators on the employee side, Reinhold Binder (PRO-GE) and Karl Dürtscher (GPA), are visibly annoyed.

The unions will now inform the works councils of the entire metal industry in seven regional conferences from October 12th to 16th about the negotiations and suggest calling works meetings. Binder and Dürtscher remind us that the metal industry has made great profits in recent years and has paid out billions of euros in profits – even in the last few months.

In addition, the economic research institutes have repeatedly stated that strengthening purchasing power is an important support for the economy. The basis for negotiations for the KV round remains rolling inflation of 9.6 percent. From the unions’ perspective, employers’ repeated demands that the abolition of cold progression be included in the wage round is a mockery of employees and at the same time a provocation for social partnership.

“We have made a very fair demand of 11.6 percent. And then we are presented with this extremely low offer. Not only we, but probably the whole of Austria is disappointed and angry,” say Binder and Dürtscher, pointing out that the employees’ expectations of the collective agreement round are “very high”. “We will prepare union action from now on. If there is no progress in the third round of negotiations with the FMTI on October 20th, the autumn will still be very hot,” the two chief negotiators conclude.