The Austrian brewers will not continue their 24-hour strike for the time being. This was announced by a negotiator of the PRO-GE trade union on Monday evening. Tuesday will be discussed how to proceed. So far there are no signs of bottlenecks in the supply of beer.
So said both negotiator Bianca Reiter (PRO-GE) and general manager of the brewery association, Florian Berger. Berger said it would take a three to four day strike before things could “get a little tighter here and there”. At the same time, promotions in supermarkets would play a role. “Even hamsters are thirsty,” Berger said, noting that buying hamsters was not justified.
The breweries have decided not to continue their strike since Sunday evening. However, a 24-hour strike must be made up in four or five breweries where work has not yet been halted. Moreover, further actions could follow this week, according to Reiter.
Plus of ten vs. seven percent
After six rounds of negotiations, the unions demand a ten percent salary increase, the employers only offer seven. The agreed inflation rate is only slightly lower at 6.9 percent. The employees therefore criticize that this is practically only a correction for inflation. The companies, in turn, accuse the union of their demands being “disproportionate to the continued difficult economic situation in the industry” and reduced demand for beer.
The next hearing is scheduled for December 21, although the union would like an earlier date. Berger considers that ‘conceivable’ if we have the understandable impression that the union really wants to negotiate. Both sides stressed that they are ready for talks, but waiting for the other side to make the first move.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
