2023-09-20 09:09:05
The resolutions include new rules for parental leave and a gradual abolition of blocked partial retirement. The current lesson was also regarding families. The ÖVP took this as an opportunity to once once more advertise the 4.5 billion euros planned for the expansion of child care by 2030.
Family Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP) spoke of igniting the “full turbo” in childcare facilities, which requires national solidarity, but also the cooperation of the federal and state governments. The compatibility of family and work has the highest priority. Men and women must be able to work full-time jobs even with children, said Raab – although she did not forget to advocate “real and honest freedom of choice”.
Raab emphasized this, as did ÖVP club chairman August Wöginger. Green Party representative Sybille Hamann welcomed this, even if she critically noted that the ÖVP should have embarked on this course much earlier. In any case, she was convinced that this would “permanently change Austria for the better”. It’s regarding education, and it needs quality, time, space, appreciation and well-trained educators.
SPÖ reacted with suspicion
The SPÖ reacted with suspicion. Vice-chairwoman Eva Maria Holzleitner recalled former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who wanted to incite federal states once morest expanding childcare, as well as Upper Austrian ÖVP statements regarding “forced labor for mothers”. “Can you really trust the ÖVP? I’m not sure,” said Holzleitner.
Similar to NEOS club boss Beate Meinl-Reisinger. Taking money into her own hands is not enough, she argued. There also needs to be a legal right and concretely anchored expansion goals. The FPÖ expressed fundamental resistance. Wolfgang Zanger warned of the “destruction of Austrian families”, and Rosa Ecker demanded just as much money for women who looked following their children at home.
At the start of the meeting, Michaela Schmidt was sworn in as the new Social Democratic MP. The Salzburg resident succeeded Cornelia Ecker, who resigned from her mandate in September. The National Council’s foreign policy committee had previously made a personnel change. After the previous chairwoman Pamela Rendi-Wagner (SPÖ) left, Christoph Matznetter took over as chairman and the election was unanimous.
Parental leave will be changed
The resolutions planned for the plenary session on Wednesday include the one on parental leave. In the future, both parents must use this for at least two months. If you don’t do this, you will forfeit two months of the waiting period and it will only be 22 months. Financial support is doubled for fathers who dedicate themselves to the family immediately following the birth.
Additional funds are made available to the states to prevent fees in the municipalities from being fully adjusted for inflation. The skimming of profits from energy companies for fossil fuels is also being expanded. While “random winnings” were previously only skimmed off if the taxable profit was 20 percent or more above the average of previous years, this limit will now be reduced to ten percent.
The ÖGB is planning an action on the occasion of the plenum. In the late followingnoon – a week before the start of wage negotiations – the trade union federation will form a human chain almost four kilometers long around parliament – with the aim of getting the government to take more measures once morest inflation.
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